Questions tagged [science-based]

For questions that require plausible (better than suspension-of-disbelief) answers based on Real World science that are not necessarily constrained to the known limits of Real World science. Contrast with the hard-science, science-fiction and internal-consistency tags. This tag may not be used alone. This tag may not be used with the science-fiction, hard-science, or internal-consistency tags.

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7 votes
1 answer
269 views

What color should my planet's skies be?

Assuming the skies are clear of suspended particles, what color should they be at mid-day if viewed with human eyes? The planet is larger and twice as massive as Earth, with a nearly identical ...
  • 195
2 votes
0 answers
43 views

Geological activity and of superearth - cannonball moon system

I understand that this situation is hypothetical -- I just need a piece of advice to make it more realistic. In my story, there is a superearth of 4,5 Earth masses and 1,35 Earth's radius, rotating ...
2 votes
1 answer
101 views

What would be the major effects of heating wood in particular and other common materials anaerobically?

I'm essentially working on a book in which the magical system involves people converting an energy source into a mimicry of an "element", complete with most of the properties but not ...
2 votes
0 answers
164 views

What would the climate of a Pangaea-Ultima-inspired world be like?

In a sci-fi scenario, human explorers have discovered a binary of G0 stars, each one 105% as wide, 110% as massive and 126% as bright as our sun. Orbiting this binary within its habitable zone is an ...
  • 14.4k
2 votes
1 answer
170 views

Wind strength in a massive planet

I'm working on this planet that has 1.5x earth's mass, so the gravity is a little stronger, given that the density it's the same. The gravity is 1.15x earth's. As i don't know how to calculate the ...
1 vote
0 answers
54 views

How to estimate the energy output of artificial suns

Setting I'm designing a world where only a thin belt wrapping the equator of a planet is hospitable. It would look something like this: The backstory, diluted for brevity, is that the central sun was ...
  • 5,279
1 vote
0 answers
57 views

Would it be biologically possible to have a species that use a photochromic material instead of an iris to control light intensity?

So in real life there is glasses that use photochromic lens to adapt to the light intensity Would it be biologically possible to have a species that use a photochromic material instead of an iris to ...
1 vote
0 answers
138 views

Which would be the Koppen-Geiger climate distribution of this map?

The existence of closed seas makes it difficult to me, especially the East one. I have it clear that in the souteast region the climate would be influenced by monzoon, but if the world has only one ...
1 vote
0 answers
90 views

In regards to mass and luminosity, what are those mystery stars?

Long ago (4.6 billion years, to be exact), a hyper-advanced alien civilization had created a solar system from scratch. Somehow, they had artificially prolonged the center of the solar system--a ...
  • 14.4k
1 vote
0 answers
48 views

In this infant (<500 million years) solar system, how far would each orbit be to be stable?

Here's the story: There is a solar system that is still a baby, less than 500 million years old. There are a total of eight stars clumped into four binaries, each one with its own habitable zone. ...
  • 14.4k
0 votes
0 answers
4 views

Is there a NON-CHEMICAL weapon that can target the central nervous and/or muscular system?

There is research on nerve agents and gases, but are there any man-portable weapons that may be able to harm the CNS without gas? Thanks.
0 votes
0 answers
44 views

What's stopping other rock layers from creating a karst-like landscape?

Context I've reread a part of a book about geochemistry and it reminded me that just about any element can dissolve in water if the pH is right. Later an examples of aluminium or iron dissolving en ...
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0 votes
0 answers
48 views

What would be the potential climate map of my country?

What would be the effects of the North Pacific current on the climate of that Archipelago in darker Red on the map? Assuming that the climate is exactly the same as just before the beginning of the ...
0 votes
0 answers
118 views

I’m trying to imagine an Earth-like planet around Barnard’s star

What I have established about this planet is that it is the size of Earth but it is located 2.2 AU from Barnard’s star, a red dwarf. I’m trying to figure out how much greenhouse gases are needed to ...
0 votes
0 answers
34 views

Can a Biosphere Exist With Sulfur as an Oxidant?

I've been looking a lot at hydrothermal vents recently, because I was making a moon with a subsurface ocean that has life in it, and I found out that Sulfur can be used as an oxidant. My question is: ...
  • 401
0 votes
0 answers
161 views

How Bright Would the Sky on This Alternate Earth Be? The Sequel to "The 372-Day Calendar"

Long ago, I asked how far Earth would orbit the sun if one year lasts 372 days instead of 365 and how much it'd affect the overall brightness. What I got was that Earth with a 372-day calendar would ...
  • 14.4k