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| Help with small planet? | |
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| Topic Started: Jan 31 2010, 11:22 AM (1,015 Views) | |
| KayKay | Jan 31 2010, 11:22 AM Post #1 |
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Well, I was a bit bored. So I drew a planet on paint:![]() The top two images you're looking at either poles, the equator is the circumference of each of the two diagrams. On the smaller four, the equator cuts through the middle of the circles horizontally. The top two (may be incomplete) show a simplified diagram of the tectonic movements on the planet. The middle two show areas of land formation and their direction of formation. The bottom is pretty self-explanatory. Thing is, I have no idea how plausible it is. If its plausible, I'm not quite sure how it would affect its general orbit and axis, and any oscillations that may occur - I mention that mostly because of the fact that one of the poles has a nearly circular plate that while generally rotating at the same speed as the rest of the planet's crust, it does shake and grind a lot and may jump forward or backwards in the day (by no more than a few minutes bear in mind!) as a result of earthquakes, but still remain a relatively constant speed. This could either be an old temporary feature related to the planet's formation that will not sustain itself for very long, or it could be a constant feature IF possible in a way that can sustain life. Please point out any areas of error, inconsistency or misunderstanding on my part, it would really help me in the process of revising this idea. |
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| Ànraich | Jan 31 2010, 02:55 PM Post #2 |
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi
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So it's a small irregular planet? Like an asteroid or planetesimal? Well it would probably have to be a body recently made by asteroid collisions. Come to think of it, the only way this would work (in my opinion) is if an intelligent race purposely did this for whatever purpose. They would collide planetesimals together to create a small body with a great deal of volcanic activity. This would create a constantly replenishing atmosphere since such a small world would probably have too little gravitational pull to hold a real atmosphere. Lots of meteors of water ice were then sent to the planet to provide enough water to cool the planet and allow oceans to form. The atmosphere would probably be very thick and dense, and there would likely be a tropical-like atmosphere around the entire planet. Clouds and rain would be common; sunny days would be rare. There would be lots of volcanoes and earthquakes because of the tectonic activity. There would also be a lot of islands in the oceans, archipelagos would be common. The coasts would be almost entirely marshy or mangroves. Jungles would stretch inland, and in the center of the continents there would be vast dry plains and rich valleys between great mountain ranges. Civilizations might develop in the mountains and the rivers in the valleys. Plausible? |
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We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar. "The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming Tree That Owns Itself
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| KayKay | Jan 31 2010, 04:17 PM Post #3 |
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Adult
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I was thinking more along the lines of between Mars and Earth-sized. Sorry I wasn't too clear on that. Still, what you've suggested is great. I don't know how plausible it is, but it seem so to the best of my knowledge. I have been considering the possibility of such a planet arising artificially, or at least having been altered from a regular planet. Another thought, would its pole-located circular plate have any effect on rotation or axis? Edited by KayKay, Jan 31 2010, 04:20 PM.
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| KayKay | Feb 2 2010, 02:46 PM Post #4 |
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Adult
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Nobody have anything more to add? I could really use some other opinions on this I don't really know where to go with it. I'm guessing earthquakes at the pole might throw off the rotation and perhaps orbital path slightly more often than say, on Earth, but I really can't say for certain. |
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| Empyreon | Feb 2 2010, 11:04 PM Post #5 |
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Are you plausible?
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There's really not enough information to determine whether it's plausible or not. Exactly how big is it? What are the details of orbit, albedo, etc.? Why would tectonic activity at the pole affect rotation? |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| Ànraich | Feb 2 2010, 11:27 PM Post #6 |
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi
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Earthquakes can knock a planet out of rotation. Earth still hasn't stabilized from that earthquake a few years back (I forgot when exactly, but it caused a big tsunami, I'm sure you've seen that footage). |
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We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar. "The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming Tree That Owns Itself
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| KayKay | Feb 3 2010, 01:43 AM Post #7 |
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Adult
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That's the things I don't know how to figure out, I was hoping to get some help with that. For example, I don't know how big it has to be to have this kind of setup, orbit hopefully within the habitable zone (but I don't know how to work out specifics) and Parasky answered the third question. Albedo I have no idea about either, because I've no idea how the seismic activity on the planet will affect volcanic activity and the releasing of gases into the atmosphere. Whether it is plausible to have a fast rotation or slow, as slow may mean thicker atmosphere with higher albedo effect from the clouds forming from volcanic activity and faster rotation may mean more of the atmosphere is thrown off so clouds dissipate as they accumulate, leaving much of the surface visible. So, as you can see, by help I mean any suggestions, not just how plausible it is. Edited by KayKay, Feb 3 2010, 01:50 AM.
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| Empyreon | Feb 3 2010, 02:53 AM Post #8 |
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Are you plausible?
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We were knocked out of rotation? Crazy... What does that mean for life as we know it? As far as the details of the planet go, there is an excellent book by Steven Gillett called World Building. It provides formulae for astronomical details as well as an overview of planetary chemistries and features to make interesting settings for worlds in science fiction. |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| KayKay | Feb 3 2010, 03:22 AM Post #9 |
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Adult
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I think it was more that it caused our rotation to diverge a bit, but not severely. Yeah, I remember also reading a website that had pretty much the same idea, but it was so complicated I couldn't even begin to understand it (that's why I was hoping someone here might be able to understand this stuff a lot better than I can). Truth is, I can't really afford to go buying books. Thanks for the suggestion anyway. |
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| Empyreon | Feb 3 2010, 03:25 AM Post #10 |
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Are you plausible?
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City library, then. It's a really good book, and does a great job of explaining how it works to even my feeble mind. Trust me, you won't regret getting your hands on a copy however you can. |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| Oceaniis | Feb 3 2010, 05:04 AM Post #11 |
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2004 earthquake made earth's rotation 0,000 002 676 seconds faster... Moon slows Earth's rotation by about 0,000 020 seconds per year... not significant... |
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| KayKay | Feb 3 2010, 06:17 AM Post #12 |
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Ok, I'll have a look for it next time I get the chance. ![]() Even if one large earthquake doesn't cause a significant change in rotation and/or axis, could it have a significant cumulative effect over millions of years? Particularly since one pole is more prone to large earthquakes than another, and significantly more so than on Earth? Edited by KayKay, Feb 3 2010, 06:22 AM.
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| Empyreon | Feb 3 2010, 09:55 AM Post #13 |
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Are you plausible?
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If the earthquakes are frequent enough, then sure, I can see it being a factor... ...Unless the planet has a large moon, in which case, the forces might just counteract (take a look at Oceanus' numbers). |
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Take a look at my exobiology subforum of the planet Nereus! COM Contributions food for thought
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| KayKay | Feb 3 2010, 10:59 AM Post #14 |
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Oh yeah, I forgot about the moon. Thanks for pointing that out, I must have read Oceanus's post too fast (sorry Oceanus). |
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| Ànraich | Feb 3 2010, 05:35 PM Post #15 |
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L'évolution Spéculative est moi
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I just had a problem in physics about that. Had to calculate the angular acceleration of the Earth over the past seventy million years or something like that. As for help with the world building, did you check the section I made that contains links to websites about world building? They're quite useful, and they might be able to help you out a bit (or at least give you a starting point for what you need to research). My main concern, as stated previously, is the atmosphere. Small planets like this can't really hold an atmosphere (or a significant one, at least), so there will have to be some kind of solution to that problem. It could be the volcanic activity I mentioned, or something a bit more exotic...Maybe it orbits a gas giant and has a strange orbit that sends it through the upper atmosphere of the gas giant every once in a while, just enough to give it a stable atmosphere until it passes through again? |
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We should all aspire to die surrounded by our dearest friends. Just like Julius Caesar. "The Lord Universe said: 'The same fate I have given to all things from stones to stars, that one day they shall become naught but memories aloft upon the winds of time. From dust all was born, and to dust all shall return.' He then looked upon His greatest creation, life, and pitied them, for unlike stars and stones they would soon learn of this fate and despair in the futility of their own existence. And so the Lord Universe decided to give life two gifts to save them from this despair. The first of these gifts was the soul, that life might more readily accept their fate, and the second was fear, that they might in time learn to avoid it altogether." - Excerpt from a Chanagwan creation myth, Legends and Folklore of the Planet Ghar, collected and published by Yieju Bai'an, explorer from the Celestial Commonwealth of Qonming Tree That Owns Itself
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