17
votes
Would My Planet’s Blue Sun Kill Earth-Life?
Let's invite an expert's opinion
Dr William Stiles of Aberystwyth University wrote the following (emphasis is mine):
Light is an essential component of plant development and is a key driver of plant ...
- 110k
8
votes
What geographic features could cause a stable pocket of unmoving air?
Caves with underwater entries
Some caves are isolated by a waterway, resulting in the air inside to be isolated, always at the same temperature and, if the water does not move, perfectly still. For ...
- 15.1k
7
votes
Would My Planet’s Blue Sun Kill Earth-Life?
I don't think any of the answers have addressed this point yet: if the effect is caused by scattering it will not actually stop much red light from reaching the surface. (Some will be scattered back ...
- 4,492
6
votes
Would My Planet’s Blue Sun Kill Earth-Life?
Scattering will not turn light bluer. Smaller wavelengths scatter more than bigger ones. Absorption, in which your atmosphere works as a kind of blue-pass filter, might be possible (if you can get the ...
- 2,377
5
votes
Accepted
Would a Denser Atmosphere cause Clouds to float higher?
A denser atmosphere will not by itself force clouds higher. Cloud formation is a function of pressure (equivalent to density for atmospheres of constant composition) and temperature, and partial vapor ...
- 39.6k
5
votes
Would My Planet’s Blue Sun Kill Earth-Life?
My apologies for tossing off a quick answer this morning. Here's more details.
Photosynthesis is generated at multiple wavelengths by two different forms of chlorophyll. Chlorophyll A has its peak ...
- 11.7k
3
votes
Would My Planet’s Blue Sun Kill Earth-Life?
Different setups create different solutions.
There are a few basic ways your hypothetical setup could exist.
For starters, either the upper atmosphere is reflecting shorter wave lengths, or it is ...
- 80.8k
3
votes
Would a habitable moon orbiting a Gas Giant experience a runaway cooling effect? (on the side that faces the giant)
No problem. Over time the moon will come to equilibrium. The only question is if this final state habitable or not. "Too cold" problem is easily solved by making the star warmer.
"...
- 1,936
3
votes
Accepted
Would a habitable moon orbiting a Gas Giant experience a runaway cooling effect? (on the side that faces the giant)
Radiation is an inefficient means of losing heat, and the colder the moon gets, the more inefficient. Consequently, it will stabilize at the point at which the decreased radiation counterbalances the ...
- 25.9k
3
votes
What geographic features could cause a stable pocket of unmoving air?
For a large scale example, see the article on Temperature inversion. A warm layer of air can trap a cold layer beneath it. If you are in a valley, this can trap your air. You can get a temperature ...
- 2,078
3
votes
What geographic features could cause a stable pocket of unmoving air?
A Deep And Narrow Pit at High Latitude
To shelter a location from the wind, it needs to be lower than the surrounding terrain on all sides. If it is lower, then wind will tend to travel above the ...
- 111
2
votes
Accepted
Underwater Seasonal Ice?
You have not specified what exactly would be acceptable, but if the planet was close to being tidally locked to its parent star an annual tide might be possible.
I doubt that a moon would be able to ...
- 35.5k
1
vote
How dark would the sky have to be to stunt crops?
About as bright on Jupiter: 20-60 watts/m2
On Jupiter, a typical sunny day is about as bright as 50 watts/m2, about as dark as a dimly-lit room, if I remember correctly.
Similarly, since your ...
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1
vote
If the Western Ghats of South India were substituted with the Himalayas and the Monsoon with El Nino, what would be the climate & biomes of the region
Warning: Long answer ahead
Let's see a map of the Western Ghats, for those who don't know the terrain and geography of India:
So, by some magic and handwavium, you managed to substitute the Western ...
- 2,736
1
vote
What geographic features could cause a stable pocket of unmoving air?
Bubble-Creating Lifeform whose bubbles harden after creation
Imagine a crab that builds a burrow, perhaps to lay its eggs in, and its secretions harden the walls. Separate secretions from the newborn ...
- 1,471
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