Living On Other Planets

Living On the Moon (What Would Life Be on the Moon?)

This is about how it would be to live on the Moon. How about moonquakes that last an hour? So if you want to know how life on Moon might be, this article is for you. Let’s get started! What Would It Be Like To Live on the Moon? Even as young children, we are familiar with the Moon because it almost always shines bright and sparks our night sky. It’s the second brightest object in Earth’s sky, second only to our Sun. Most people also know that it is the only environment outside of Earth’s atmosphere where humans have set foot. In fact, there is a long list of other interesting facts about our Moon that nearly all people know. But, have you ever asked yourself: what would it be like to live on the Moon? Ignoring the frightening dangers and assuming we currently have the technology to do so, let’s find out what it would be like! Moon – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 93 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 1 sec. Mass: 1% of Earth Width: 27% of Earth Gravity: 16% of Earth Length of Day: 656 hours (27 x 1 Earth Day) Length of Yea:: 27 days (7% of 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -4º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: No Rings: No Your Typical Day on The Moon Your new homeland’s day lasts for over 600 hours, or 27 times one Earth day. Even during the day, your sky would always be pitch black because you have no atmosphere to scatter the Sun’s light. On Earth, we know the Sun is rising because the surrounding sky becomes bright and colored. On the Moon, the Sun suddenly appears in the sky. Once it rises, light covers your surface, and temperatures instantly swell to almost 250º Fahrenheit. Since your sky is always black, you also see crystal-clear stars rise with the Sun and continue along across your skies. Speaking of your former home, you would indeed have a spectacular view of Earth. The Moon is in a tidal lock with Earth, meaning as it orbits around Earth, the same side of the Moon is always facing the planet. This is the cause of the infamous “dark side of the Moon!” Because of this, you would always see Earth in roughly the same spot in your sky. You would also be able to see Earth go through phases, just like you saw the Moon do from Earth. Adding to the list of complete opposites, you would occasionally experience a solar eclipse. However, it will now be the Earth that is briefly blocking the Sun. The Earth will temporarily appear as a glowing red-orange ball, blocking most of the Sun’s light from your home. As you venture out to explore your new homeland, you will see smooth plains created from molten lava. With no atmosphere to protect your home, large collisions from the past have left gigantic mountains and deep craters. The largest crater is Aristarchus, located on the North West region. At 25 miles wide and nearly 2.5 miles deep, this monster makes Earth’s Grand Canyon look tiny. For the more adventurous explorers, lava has also left extremely deep holes, leading to large underground caverns in the Moon’s surface. Your Typical Night on The Moon Not surprisingly, your evening on the Moon is similar to your day; pitch black. But, without an atmosphere to trap in heat, your evening temperatures will plunge almost instantly to nearly -250º Fahrenheit. You’ll want to pack a heavy coat. Naturally, you will have no Moon to sparkle in your night sky because…well, you are on it. As explained previously, the Earth will be your main nighttime sky feature now. And, because they are essentially unaffected visually, thousands of beaming stars will decorate your sky. Temperature aside, there are much less pleasant views one could have in the evening. Your Typical Year on The Moon You now have two different ways of viewing your new home’s calendar year: Because of the time, it takes for the Moon to completely revolve around the Earth, you could say a Lunar year is 27 days long. You could also argue that the definition of a year is the time it takes for an object to orbit the Sun. If that is your view, then you could say the Moon has the same year as Earth since it travels around the Sun with the Earth. Regardless of your yearly views, one thing is for sure, your gravity is much different now. At only one-sixth of your previous Earth gravity, you can accomplish some amazing things. If you could throw a football 50 yards on Earth, you can now launch a 300-yard pass. If you weighed 160 pounds when you left Earth, you would now weigh only 25 pounds on the Moon. If you could benchpress 200 pounds in an Earth gym, you are now officially benching 1,200 pounds in your new gym. Wow! Your Local Weather Forecast Your local weather forecast is almost not even worth watching. It’s very predictable. No matter what time of year it is, it will be very hot, then very cold, with no chance of precipitation. One factor you definitely want to stay current with is meteor particles. Without a protective atmosphere, these particles frequently bombard your home and can be as large as golf balls. Think about how much a piece of hail can hurt when it hits you on Earth. Now, imagine the same thing, but with zero resistance. Bottom line that will hurt, so be careful. During the long periods of time when your Moon surface is in the sunlight, deadly radiation will shower your home. During these times, your safest option is to seek shelter around the polar regions of the Moon. In these cool parts, your home will remain free of sunlight for several months out of the year but will clearly be extremely cold. Finally, be aware of moonquakes! This hazardous phenomenon pops up very unexpectedly and is similar to moderate earthquakes. Overall, they are not catastrophic but are fully …

Astronomy

Living On Venus (What Would Life Be on Venus?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Venus. How about the Sun only rises once every 177 Earth days? So if you want to know how life on Venus might be, this article is for you. Let’s jump right in! What Would It Be Like To Live on Venus? As the hottest planet in our solar system, full of dangerous and extreme environments, Venus is not a place that any Human would ever want to visit. But, for now, let’s look past the dangers and assume that we are equipped with the necessary technology to travel to our twin neighbor planet. What would it be like to live on Venus? Let’s find out! Venus – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 67 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 6 min. Mass: 80% of Earth Width: 95% of Earth Gravity: 90% of Earth Length of Day: 5,832 hours (243 x 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 224 days (61% of 1 Earth year) Average Temp: 867º F Pressure: 92 x Earth Moons: 0 Rings: No Your Typical Day on Venus When you arrive on Venus, you’ll want to get an excellent night’s sleep. Your new planet’s day lasts just under 6,000 hours. If you got your full eight hours of sleep, you would wake up only 0.1% of the way through the same day you went to sleep on. If you are hoping to catch a Venusian sunrise, you will need to plan very carefully. On this new planet, the Sun only rises once every 177 Earth days. In other words, you will only see two sunrises during your entire year. If you miss the sunrise, do not worry, your new atmosphere will all but cancel the Sun out anyways (explained below). You will notice instantly that your new home is rotating in the opposite direction of most other planets. We call this retrograde rotation. The Sun now rises in the West and sets in the East; that will take some time getting used to. As you explore your new home, you will see that the majority of the terrain consists of vast, smooth plains. But, if you roam around enough, you could stumble across massive active volcanoes, so be cautious. Your eyes will need to adjust to your daytime sky, which is now a red-orange color. Again, this is due to your extremely thick atmosphere that is explained in your weather forecast below. Your atmosphere is so dense that you feel a strong resistance like being underwater as you move your arms and legs. Speaking of underwater, the Venusian air pressure is 92 times that of Earth, which would feel like being over half a mile deep in an ocean. Your Typical Night on Venus If you are a star-gazer, you may be quite disappointed in your new planet. Because of your hazy skies, your new night sky appears completely black. Even on a “clear” Venusian night, you could not see a single star if you tried. Not to mention, you have no Moons to call your own. This will feel rather ironic since Venus is always one of the brightest objects in the Earth’s night and morning skies. Congratulations, you officially have a very lifeless night sky now. Your Typical Year on Venus: Your new calendar year lasts for 224 Earth days, not all too different from your previous planet. However, this officially makes your Venus day slightly longer than your Venus year, so take extra precautions when adding events to your calendar. If you were 50 years old when you left Earth, you are now 82 years old on Venus. So, you may need to text your friends and family to tell them that your birthday has officially changed. If they don’t reply quickly, don’t be sad, it can now take up to 15 minutes for your text message or email to reach planet Earth. This is because you are now on the other side of the Sun and 162 million miles from your former home. On the plus side, your new gravity is similar to Earth, so your jump, your weight, and your ability to lift things will stay almost identical. Your Local Weather Forecast Spoiler alert: You now live on the hottest planet in the solar system. This is partially because you are rather close to the Sun, at 67 million miles. Though, it’s mainly due to your new atmosphere. Your planet is covered in extremely thick, dense clouds of carbon dioxide. This gas, as we know it on Earth, causes a Greenhouse Effect. The heat from the nearby Sun enters your planet, but the carbon dioxide keeps it trapped. Essentially, your forecast always calls for heat. A constant average of 870º Fahrenheit, to be exact. In other words, your new planet is constantly hot enough to melt lead. Since you do have an atmosphere, you can, and often do, have severe rainstorms. The problem is that your high temperatures melt all raindrops before they can even hit the ground. Even on a storm-free day, your thick, hazy atmosphere makes the Sun a blurred-out, pale dot behind heavy cloud cover. Your daytime skies are forever red-orange colored from the way that your atmosphere’s carbon dioxide scatters incoming sunlight. For Sale! If bone-dry and scorching climates, starless night skies, volcanic terrains, and absurdly long days are what you’re in the market for, move to Venus. You’ll never need an umbrella, and you can always rest assured your forecast will be somewhere in the 800’s. Since Humans struggle with the heat during hot Earth summer days, you may want to do a little more thinking before signing your new lease. See What Life Would Be Like on Another Plant Jupiter Mars Mercury Moon Neptune Saturn Sun Uranus

Astronomy

Living On Uranus (What Would Life Be on Uranus?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Uranus. How about storms of shimmering diamonds rain down on your house? So if you want to know how life on Uranus might be, this article is for you. Let’s get right into it! What Would It Be Like To Live on Uranus? So, you have selected Uranus as your new home? Well, before you pack up and voyage to the planet, there are many essential things you need to know. While the inner planets are fiery worlds of molten rock, the outer planets are cold and desolate places. Mysterious and gigantic, Uranus sits far from the Sun as a frozen ball of deadly gases. Of course, living in such environments would require tremendously advanced technology. But, let’s put that thought aside, blast off to the outer solar system, and find out what living on Uranus would be like. Let’s get started! Uranus – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 1.8 billion miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 2.7 hrs. Mass: 15 x Earth Width: 4 x Earth Gravity: 90% of Earth Length of Day: 17 hours (46% of 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 30,687 days (84 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -320º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 27 known Rings: Yes Scouting Your New Neighborhood Similar to the other gas giants we have explored so far, Uranus has no solid surface. Instead, ammonia, methane, and water ices comprise most of Uranus. Plus, the planet’s surface layers are extremely frigid. Internal temperatures on Uranus can rocket to a brutal 8,500º F. Therefore, living on Uranus will be limited to the outer cloud top layers. Living in the outer cloud layers in a protective bubble-like home will work best. Saturn and Jupiter both received this same advice. Your Typical Day on Uranus Entirely flipped on its side, Uranus sits at a near-90º tilt. Only once you observed other planets would you notice this awkward shift. Studied for decades, the cause of your new planet’s tilt is still a mystery. Scientists believe it is the result of a massive cosmic collision. Plus, Moons form after planets form. We know this now. So, your Moons orbiting on the same tilted plane tells us the collision occurred during the early solar system when your planet was forming. Next, the moment you arrive on the third biggest planet, you immediately notice the temperature. Maintaining a constant chilling -320º F, the sub-arctic climate on Uranus is hard to ignore. The further a planet is from the Sun, the colder its temperatures. Yet, Uranus is colder than the more distant neighbor, Neptune. How can this be? Crediting icy temperatures to unknown internal processes, your new planet is the coldest in the solar system. So, putting on the best parka money can buy, you decide to head out and explore. Similar to Earth, your new day lasts for 17 hours, not too shabby. Plus, to your surprise, you notice blue skies, just like home sweet home. Yet, blue skies on Uranus differ dramatically from Earth. Deadly abundances of methane gas are now the cause of your world’s blue skies. To your dismay, your new home appears bleak and desolate. Venturing out to explore, vacant, smooth, blue horizons surround you as far as the eye can see. Living on Uranus is not conducive to sightseeing. However, at 100,000 miles around, your home is the third largest planet and much too big to explore anyhow. Your Typical Night on Uranus Living on Uranus does have its perks, despite the barren landscape. Peering through the gaseous haze, you become awe-inspired by 27 Moons. Small and irregularly shaped, your collection of Moons are much different than your previous Earth-Moon. Yet, they dance around your planet like mesmerizing ice sculptures. Surprisingly, your new world has a ring system. Faint and elegant, Uranus is surrounded by 13 beautiful rings. Boulder-sized clumps of dust comprise Uranus’ rings, unlike Saturn’s bright ice pebble rings. Yet, appearing faint deep blue, and red, your new rings are simply stunning. Finally, Earth is observable from your new home, should you become homesick. Of course, viewing your former home requires a powerful telescope. Appearing as a pale dot, you gaze beyond the methane atmosphere at your prior homeland. Now, temperatures become simply too much, and you head inside for the evening. Your Typical Year on Uranus Opposite of your short days, living on Uranus brings 31,000-day-long years. In other words, your new year lasts for 84 Earth years. Not to mention, your extreme tilt creates enduring, long seasons. In fact, only two seasons occur on Uranus, summer, and winter. First, extreme tilting causes your north pole to face the Sun for half of your year. In other words, summer drags on slowly, seeing the Sun creep across the sky for 42 years. Finally, skipping what would have been your NFL season, winter instantly sets in. But, unlike Earth’s winter, Uranus now sits in total darkness for 42 years. Hope you do not like football, autumn leaves, or warm days. Gravity hardly changes living on Uranus. Actually, jumping, lifting, and body weight are slightly more favorable, if anything. Plus, in your terribly long year, your first birthday has not yet occurred. Your friends will be feeding you a birthday cake with a single candle in your highchair in no time. But, when birthday party invitees are no-shows, don’t hold it against them. After all, their cancellation text messages take nearly three hours to arrive. Your Local Weather Forecast Weather forecasts living on Uranus are predictable and bleak. Cold, dark, and windy, that’s about it. Blowing at a speedy 560 miles per hour, gusts of wind are sure to knock you down. Heavy boots of iron could do the trick. Between day and night, temperatures remain a constant -320º. Nearly 2 billion from the Sun, very little light hits your home, even during the 42 year summers. Murky methane and ammonia atmospheres certainly do not help this. Precipitation does occur since you still have an atmosphere, but much differently. Methane in your world chemically changes to carbon. Under your planet’s extreme pressures, …

Astronomy

Living On the Sun (What Would Life Be on the Sun?)

This is about how it would be to live on the Sun. How about a homeland that burns its nuclear fuel until it runs out and then violently collapses? So if you want to know how life on Sun might be, this article is for you. Let’s get started! What Would It Be Like To Live on the Sun? So, you have decided to live in the solar system’s most extreme environment? Well, what would it be like living on the Sun? Firstly, no humans could ever inhabit the Sun. It is a star. Scalding temperatures, nuclear processes, and unexpected lethal bursts make the Sun a deadly world. Yet, it would be unjust to not cover our cosmic mother in our guide to life beyond Earth. Therefore, use your imagination to pretend that we now have remarkable technologies. You have acquired tools to help you withstand unbelievable radiation and heat. A reinforced, floating dome-like structure will serve as your new house and keep you free of the many dangers. Without further ado, pack your bags, load the trucks, let’s find out what it would be like, living on the Sun: Sun – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 0 miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 8 min. Mass: 330,000 x Earth Width: 109 x Earth Gravity: Over 300% of Earth Length of Day: n/a Length of Year: n/a Average Temperature: 9,938º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 0 Rings: 0 Charming Historical Value For thousands of years, ancient civilizations worshiped your new homeland. Constructing temples, monuments, art, and more, the Sun has been a god-like figure in human life history. Not to mention, ancient and modern calendar systems alike are all based on your newly-chosen home. Plants, animals, foods, and anything else in human life all exist courtesy of the Sun. Plus, even on cloudy days, human beings see and feel your home every day of their lives. Even people without eyesight feel its motherly warmth on their bodies. Your new home is easily the single most iconic piece of astronomical history. If the solar system were the United States, you have selected to live in colonial Williamsburg. Scouting Your New Neighborhood Deciding where you will be living on the Sun is simple: really hot, or extremely hot? Dangerous or impossibly dangerous? Three main regions make up your home: Interior Atmosphere Surface Sun’s Interior First, the interior is made of the core, radiative zone, and convective zone. Simply by the oven-like names, we can infer that the interior is not a desirable living space. Plus, the core temperature rings in around 27 million degrees. In conditions, these extreme elements are crushed into heavier elements via nuclear fusion. This process is the lifeblood of your new home. It’s the fuel that keeps the Sun alive. But, you do not want to be anywhere remotely near this process. Trust us. Sun’s Atmosphere Alternatively, the Sun’s atmosphere has several layers: Chromosphere Photosphere Corona. Named after the Greek word chroma, meaning “color,” the chromosphere is the first layer. The chromosphere gives off a red hue where the scorching-hot hydrogen emerges from the Sun’s interior. Next comes a small zone separating the lower and upper atmosphere, the photosphere. Greek for “light sphere,” the photosphere is where the Sun’s powerful energy radiates as visible light. Surprisingly, this layer is the “mild” region at a chilly 9,900º F. Finally, the temperature leaps rapidly to a few million degrees to form the corona, Greek for “crown.” This thickest atmospheric layer is where the Sun’s solar wind is generated. But, this is not typical wind. Instead, it is a stream of plasma and radiation that flows across the entire solar system. After examining these luxurious locales, you decide the photosphere is your dreamland. Pack your bags and load the truck. Your Typical Day, Night, and Year on the Sun Now, you live on the actual object that all planets orbit. Therefore, your home itself is the cause of days, nights, and years in the solar system. In other words, you now live on the day, you live on the night, and you live on a year. And, other than some of your layers and regions rotating, your home has no calendar of any kind. Instead, your new homeland simply burns its nuclear fuel until it runs out. Yes, it does have an expiration date, but you still have around 5 billion years left. Our Sun is called a main-sequence star. Basically, it’s middle-aged, still in its prime. But, more on that later. Let’s get out and do some sight-seeing: Exploring Features and Phenomenon of the Sun Immediately, you notice darker portions randomly appearing right in your own photosphere. These are sunspots. At nearly 3,000 degrees cooler than their surroundings, sunspots can be a great place to take a break and chill out. Plus, they can be 31,000 miles wide, so fitting friends and family should not be an issue. Next, you suddenly notice a gigantic tentacle extending out from your home region. Extending out for hundreds of thousands of miles, you have just witnessed your first solar prominence. However, keep your distance, as it is made of electrically charged hydrogen and plasma. Yikes! Finally, you need to rush back to your safe home dome. Your local news has just informed you that a coronal mass ejection is expected tonight. Randomly, your new home gathers massive amounts of pent-up energy and ejects it in a devastating explosion. Magnetically- and electrically-charged material blasts outward for millions of miles. Sure, snap some breathtaking photos, but whatever you do, stay far away. These explosions are even powerful enough to damage power and communications on Earth. Planning for the Future Depending on when you make a move, living on the Sun requires long-term planning. As mentioned previously, the Sun operates purely on nuclear fuel. However, like all things, this fuel eventually expires and runs out. At this point, your precious home is no longer safe. In fact, it will self-destruct and violently collapse. Aside from destroying your resale value, everything around you will also evaporate. Similar to all stars of this size, the Sun’s fuel will run out. It will expand to be several times its current size as …

Astronomy

Living On Saturn (What Would Life Be on Saturn?)

Here’s how it would be to live on the planet Saturn: Simply because Saturn doesn’t have solid surfaces, you couldn’t live on it like that. However, ensuring that you have the tech you will need to live on Saturn isn’t as glam as it sounds with lightning storms and a 50% chance of diamond rain. So if you want to know how life on Saturn might be, this article is for you. Let’s get right into it! What Would It Be Like To Live on Saturn? So, you are thinking of living on Saturn? You have decided to inhabit the most famous planet in our solar system, Saturn. Recognized by people of all ages for its magnificent ring system, Saturn is one of the four gas giants of the outer solar system. However, living on Saturn is not as glitzy and glamorous as it may seem. Rather, it is a frigid world full of surprise and betrayal. And, like the other gaseous planets, you technically could not live on Saturn simply because it has no solid surfaces. But, let’s put that idea aside, assume that we are equipped with technologies needed to survive, and inspect your new home. Saturn – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 887 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 1.4 hrs. Mass: 95 x Earth Width: 9 x Earth Gravity: 92% of Earth Length of Day: 11 hours (46% of 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 10,756 days (29 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -288º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 62 known Rings: Yes Scouting Your New Neighborhood Much like our article about living on Jupiter, selecting where you will actually be living on Saturn will be crucial. Given the radically different conditions, depending on where you are, things could get a bit unpleasant. Living On the Inside of Saturn If you are a warm-weather person or looking for a balmy place to retire, you could build your home in Saturn’s interior. However, be forewarned that temperatures are likely able to soar as high as 21,000º Fahrenheit. Even though Saturn is a frozen world, sitting 887 million miles from the Sun, its core is scorching hot. In fact, Saturn spits out double to heat it takes in from the Sun. Living Near the Surface Instead, it will be much more appealing to live on the outer regions of Saturn. Using proper technology, you will want to have a well-protected dome structure that can float in the ringed planet’s upper atmosphere. Up here, atmospheric pressure can drop to quasi-Earth-like levels and prove much more ideal. Although, ideal may not be the most fitting term, as your atmosphere is now made mostly of ammonia ice. Now that you have selected a location let’s review your new routine. Your Typical Day on Saturn You will quickly notice living on Saturn. Your days only last for 11 hours or 45% of your typical Earth day. So, on the bright side, two-day shipping on Saturn’s version of Amazon would technically be completed within a single Earth day. Now, it’s time to explore. And, you definitely have a planet full of visual wonders to enjoy. Your location and planning are highly important when sightseeing on Saturn, simply because of the sheer size. Your new home is nearly 240,000 miles around and almost 75,000 miles wide. So, traveling at highway speeds from the south to north pole would take a little over 1,100 hours. But, if you can make it northward, you can witness the stunning auroras. The mind-blowing light shows will remind you of Earth’s, except that Saturn’s auroras are actually bigger than the entire planet Earth itself. Plus, your new planet has a mysterious but fascinating hexagon shape on its north pole. And, this polar attraction has been a beautifully puzzling mystery to astronomers for decades. However, it is widely believed to be the cause of powerful jet winds interacting with each other. Your Typical Night on Saturn Although your night is now much shorter than your day, you are in for some spectacular treats. If you enjoyed the gleaming silver Moon on Earth, how would you like 62 Moons? In fact, you now get to enjoy the second-largest Moon in the solar system, Titan. At half the size of Earth, this massive satellite is the only Moon known to contain clouds and a planet-like atmosphere (summer vacation spot?). Plus, if you remembered to bring your telescope along, you now have constant access to truly dark skies, optimal for observing. Taking up amateur astronomy while living on distant Saturn may help cure your inevitable loneliness. For instance, here is actual audio recorded by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2003, while orbiting your lonely planet: Viewing Saturn’s Infamous Rings Now, it’s time for the main attraction. The primary reason you moved to the sixth planet from the Sun, it’s rings. The multiple rings are composed almost entirely of water ice chunks. And, these ice chunks can be the size of sand grains to as big as a typical building. Astonishingly, the rings stretch out for 240,000 miles but are only around 30 feet thick. In other words, if the rings were scaled down to the size of a piece of standard paper, the paper would be 10,000 times thicker than the rings. A terrific and more thorough explanation of this scenario can be found on Phil Plait’s blog. There are several theories as to how your planet’s flagship landmark came to be. Some think a series of asteroid collisions with Saturn’s Moons caused leftover debris to be trapped in orbit. Others think it may be leftover debris from the original formation of our solar system’s planets over four billion years ago. Regardless, if you see one attraction in your first year on Saturn, make it the rings. Your Typical Year on Saturn Despite your short days and nights, your new year is much longer now. Because of its far-out orbit, a single year on Saturn lasts for nearly 10,800 Earth days. A single one of your new years is the same as 29 years on your previous planet. In other words, if you left Earth at 40 …

Astronomy

Living On Neptune (What Would Life Be on Neptune?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Neptune. How about bone-breaking winds? So if you want to know how life on Neptune might be, this article is for you. Let’s get right into it! What Would It Be Like To Live on Neptune? First predicted in 1781 by using only math, Neptune is a distant ice giant. Earning its name from the Roman god of the sea for its deep blue color, Neptune lies 2.7 billion miles away. Plus, upon Pluto’s planetary demotion in 2006, Neptune is our solar system’s most distant planet. But, what would it be like living on Neptune? Similar to most planets, Neptune is a volatile world with no solid surfaces. Besides, the desolate planet is no place for human life. However, let’s use our imagination and pretend that we have the tools needed to inhabit Neptune. Neptune – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 2.8 billion miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 4.3 hrs. Mass: 17 x Earth Width: 3.9 x Earth Gravity: 110% of Earth Length of Day: 16 hours (67% of 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 60,190 days (165 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -330º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 14 known Rings: Yes Scouting Your New Neighborhood Now, similar to living on other planets in the outer solar system, your new planet has no solid surface. Therefore, living on Neptune will require constructing a bubble-like dome in the upper atmosphere. But, the dome will require tremendous strength to shelter you from deadly winds. Wind and Chills encompass all Neptune regions. But, the northern parts are slightly more favorable. Our only close encounter with Neptune happened with Voyager 2 in 1989. Despite the few missions, data indicates the southern region is home to the most extreme weather. Finally, living on Neptune will require advanced water technology systems. Frigid temperatures and sparse Sun energy mean most substances, including water, are frozen. Now, it is believed that liquid water may exist far below Neptune’s surface. However, the likely deadly pressures are well worth avoiding. Your Typical Day on Neptune Now, during your newly-shortened day, you venture out to explore. At 97,000 miles around, Neptune is not easily explored in a single day. Not to mention, your planet is mostly wild winds and deadly storms. Not necessarily a sight-seeing dream world. Yet, living on Neptune does have one infamous landmark. Technically, your new home’s day is only 16 hours and 6 minutes. Not so bad, right? However, not having solid surfaces means different parts of your planet rotate at varying speeds. Visiting central regions introduces 18-hour days. On the bright side, your new typical workday is five hours. In other words, the “nine-to-two” grind is now your daily routine. Journeying into the southern parts, you encounter the Great Dark Spot. First discovered by Voyager 2, the Dark Spot is a gigantic storm, big enough to fit your previous home planet, Earth. But, with recorded wind speeds of 1,500 miles per hour, you keep a safe distance. Approaching dinner time, you decide to return home. Although, with nearly zero sunlight, your days and nights are both permanently pitch black. Your Typical Night on Neptune Surprisingly, your sky shows six rings. Made of dark, dusty materials, your rings remained unseen until the 1980s. Paling in comparison to Saturn’s beautiful ring system, you are still in utter awe. Plus, astronomers believe your rings will be rather temporary. So, your move has happened at a special time. Now, after enjoying the rings, your telescope turns to your 14 known moons, including Triton, your largest moon. Triton spins in the opposite direction of its planet and is the only large moon to do so. Ultimately, captured by Neptune, Triton once wandered aimlessly through the solar system. Deemed one of the coldest places in the solar system, Triton’s surface is -391º Fahrenheit. Also, one of the few currently geologically active moons, Triton has volcanos. Yet, observing the volcanos from a safe distance, you instantly notice that they are unusual. Shimmering geysers of nitrogen and ammonia gas burst five miles into the sky. Finally, you enjoy a spectacular view of neighboring planets. As opposed to Earth, the previously hard-to-see planets are now your night sky staples. Though still distant, Uranus becomes slightly more visible, especially under such clear, dark skies. Even the tiny former planet, Pluto, is in play. Now, only a few hundred million miles away, Pluto is similar to Earth to Jupiter. Pluto’s micro size still proves difficult to see. Yet, much easier than your formerly 4.6 billion mile feat. Your Typical Year on Neptune Living on Neptune, your new calendar year will be a massive change. One single year on your new planet is more than 60,000 Earth-days-long. Actually, in 2011 your planet completed only its first orbit since its discovery in 1846. Basically, if you left Earth upon retiring at 65-years-old, you are now less than one year old (queue Frank Sinatra’s “You Make Me Feel So Young”). In fact, your first birthday party will not occur for another 24,000 days. So, keep in mind that your Dora the Explorer-themed party may seem rather foolish and outdated by then. However, you now move quite sluggishly, even for a toddler. Living on Neptune means 10% more gravity than Earth. Bodyweight, running speeds, and weight lifting abilities are now working against you. But, hey, you now have 165 Earth-years to work on meeting your New Year’s resolution. Your Local Weather Forecast Does Northface or Patagonia have any sales? You should check, simply because your new planet is an absolute Popsicle. Living on Neptune brings constant temperatures below -300º F. Being billions of miles away from the sun means little-to-no light or heat. Plus, any “heat” you do enjoy comes from processes in your new world’s interior. And, that ain’t much. Yet, believe it or not, the cold is not your worst enemy. Clocking the fastest winds in the solar system, Neptune is our cosmic Chicago. Wind speeds on Neptune can …

Astronomy

Living On Mars (What Would Life Be on Mars?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Mars. How about you’re only half your Earth age? So if you want to know how life on Mars might be, this article is for you. Let’s jump right in! What Would It Be Like To Live on Mars? We have fictionally spoken and written about sending Humans to our small neighbor, Mars, for many years. We have NASA’s Mars Rover permanently on the planet, allowing us to remotely explore and see Mars videos. Now, we even have genuine plans to send humans to the red planet within a decade. But have you ever stopped to truly think about what life would be like on Mars? Let’s assume all necessary technology and equipment is currently available, and let’s find out! Mars – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 142 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 13 min. Mass: 11% of Earth Width: 50% of Earth Gravity: 38% of Earth Length of Day: 25 hours (1.04 x 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 687 days (1.88 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -85º F Pressure: 1% of Earth Moons: 2 Rings: No Your Typical Day on Mars Your mornings and days on Mars would feel somewhat familiar to those on Earth. Your Sun would rise and set quite similarly to Earth in that the day is only one hour longer at 25 hours. However, as you explore your new home, you see a much different environment. Mars is infamously red because of rusting iron throughout its dusty surface. This dust also creates an orange-colored, hazy sky that blurs the Sun and causes its surrounding areas to appear slightly blue in color. To help your homesickness, Mars has what could easily be its own national parks. For instance, Olympus Mons, which is the largest known volcano in our solar system. Towering at a breath-taking 88 thousand feet, this giant is three times as high as Mount Everest. Plan your trip to Olympus carefully, as many astronomers believe it may still be active. If you never got to see the Grand Canyon on Earth, never fear. You can plan a trip to visit Valles Mariners. This vast system of valleys spans as far as the continental United States. Its valleys can reach almost five miles deep. That’s nearly six times as long and five times deeper than Earth’s Grand Canyon. Your Typical Night on Mars Unlike life on Mercury or Venus, your night sky would be full of action. You would instantly notice a canvas of thousands of shining stars from end to end. Since your new nights are almost the same length as Earth, you would feel comfortable knowing that you could fall asleep and wake up to a new day. Unlike the inner-most three planets (Mercury, Venus, and Earth), you have not one but two Moons, named Phobos and Deimos. Named after the horses that pulled the Roman god of war, Ares’ chariot, Phobos means “fear,” and Deimos means “panic.” But, despite their names, there’s no need to be alarmed. Even from your new planet, your Moons will appear very small and underwhelming in the night sky. Phobos is 14 miles wide, and smaller Deimos is only 8 miles wide. Occasionally, both Moons will rise together in the night sky. You will definitely want to pack your telescope. That will be quite a sight to see. Your Typical Year on Mars Your new calendar year, despite its extreme dangers, has some silver linings. It is nearly twice as long as an Earth year, but with that comes seasons that are twice as long, too. Because your planet is slightly tilted on its axis, like Earth, you will experience all four seasons. Your new Spring lasts seven months, your Summer six months, your Autumn 5 months, and Winter four months. For most of us, that’s ideal. At only 38% of Earth’s gravity, you can jump three times as high, lift weight three times as easily, and you now only weigh around one-third of your Earth-weight. Once you get used to controlling your body in this new environment, it may not be too shabby. Not to mention, you are now only around half of your Earth age. In other words, if you were 30 years old when you left Earth, you will be turning 16 on Mars. This is perfect timing because you can now legally drive the Mars Rover Curiosity. That is, assuming your new planet has the same legal driving age or licenses in general. Your Local Weather Forecast Your local forecast is very dusty with a chance of hot or cold. Due to your sparse atmosphere, your sky and environment are almost always very hazy with iron-rich dust. This is also what causes the red-orange-colored skies around you. You will often experience increasing winds that cause severe dust storms that cover your new planet entirely. You will want to keep an eye out for these. Your biggest concern will be the extremely high amount of radiation let in by incoming sunlight with your thin atmosphere. We recommend inventing an SPF 1,000,000 sunscreen before your move-in on Mars. Since your new atmosphere is only 1% as dense as Earth’s, heat and cold are not easily trapped, so your temperatures will fluctuate quickly. Though your temperature is typically around -80º Fahrenheit, it can suddenly jump up to around 70º F by the equator during your Summers. Afternoon rainstorms are highly likely, but you will never see a single drop hit the Mars surface because of your extremely dry climate. If you live around the poles, where you have large frozen icecaps, you may occasionally experience snowstorms. However, these storms differ from Earth in that they are flakes of dry ice. For Sale! Are you looking for extended Springs and Summers, starry night skies, and an additional Moon? Are your allergies unaffected by dust, and you truly appreciate the colors orange and red? Then, Mars may be the perfect place for you. But, with its extremely cold temperatures and risk for fatal radiation, you will …

Astronomy

Living On Mercury (What Would Life Be on Mercury?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Mercury. How about a black sky in the daytime? So if you want to know how life on Mercury might be, this article is for you. Let’s get started! What Would It Be Like To Live on Mercury? As most of us already know, living essentially anywhere besides Earth in our solar system would be extremely deadly. Let’s forget about that for a moment and assume that we have the technology and capabilities to do so. So, what would it be like to live on Mercury? Let’s find out! Mercury – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 35 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 3 min. Mass: 5% of Earth Width: 38% of Earth Gravity: 38% of Earth Length of Day: 1,408 hours (59 x Earth Day) Length of Year: 88 days (24% of 1 Earth year) Average Temp: 333º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: No Rings: No Your Typical Day on Mercury You would wake up, just like your Earth day. Except, when you woke up, you would only be about 2% of the way through the same day you went to sleep. This is because a Mercurial day is 59 times as long as one Earth day, or 1,400 hours. You decide to make some coffee and watch the sunrise on your porch. As opposed to the brief, sacred time that it takes for the Sun to rise on Earth, you would have a much different experience on this new planet. The Sun begins to rise and suddenly appears to come to a complete stop in the ski. After a while, it begins moving back in the opposite direction. Finally, it continues the other way on its original path and sets. You might be thinking that this actually sounds rather enjoyable. But, keep in mind that this sunrise would take over 170 Earth days because of the incredibly long day. Hope you made a large pot of coffee. Your Typical Night on Mercury As your freezing night begins, your sky would look identical to the way it did during the day (explained below), pitch black. The stars would certainly be bright and would not even twinkle once without a hazy atmosphere in your way. One large, noticeable difference would be that you have no moon to look at. In fact, you have no moons at all. If you’re looking to stay up late, you may want to keep in mind that midnight will not occur until almost 44 Earth days after the Sun has gone down. Your Typical Year on Mercury With Mercury’s low gravity, which is only around 38% of that on Earth, your first year would have some big upsides. For starters, you would be able to jump almost three times as high and lift three times as much. You would also weigh about one-third of your current weight on Earth without any exercise. With your new calendar year being only 88 days long, you would have four times as many birthdays. However, this would also make you four times as old. If you were 20 years old on Earth, you would be 85 years old on Mercury. Your Local Weather Forecast Mercury has essentially no atmosphere, which would make for very predictable, but brutal days and nights. For instance, without a thick atmosphere to scatter the Sun’s incoming light, your daytime skies would appear almost completely black, and stars would never twinkle. On most parts of the planet, your average temperatures would be around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. After all, this new planet is only 35 million miles from the Sun, which is not far in cosmic terms. When the Sun finally sets, temperatures plummet very quickly to around -200 degrees Fahrenheit because there is no atmosphere to trap the heat. With the high temperatures, if you are hoping for a nice rainstorm, don’t hold your breath. With little to no atmosphere, you would never have rain, or snow, or hurricanes. You could, however, experience earthquakes, or Mercuryquakes rather, because as the planet’s molten core cools over time, it’s slowly breaking down and causing Mercury to shrink. So, it looks like you can cross off weather reporter during your new job search. It’s definitely going to be really hot, then really cold with a 0% chance of precipitation. For Sale! If 100-day sunrises, scorching days, frigid nights, and lots of birthday parties are what you seek, then Mercury would be a great location for you. Only two space missions have ever visited Mercury for what it’s worth, so you might want to do some research first before moving there. See What Life Would Be Like on Another Plant Jupiter Mars Moon Neptune Saturn Sun Uranus Venus

Astronomy

Living On Jupiter (What Would Life Be on Jupiter?)

This is about how it would be to live on the planet Jupiter. How about a brisk -240º Fahrenheit? So if you want to know how life on Saturn might be, this article is for you. Let’s jump right in! What Would It Be Like To Live on Jupiter? What would it be like living on Jupiter? Well, it is a gigantic ball of gas, and therefore has no solid surface to live on. But, for now, let’s ignore that and journey past the inner, rocky planets to explore your new home, Jupiter. Jupiter, in Roman mythology, was the god of all gods. Jupiter, among planets, assumes this same role. This gas giant is the largest planet in our solar system, out-sized only by our enormous Sun. Actually, it is so large that it would have been another Sun if it were only 80 times bigger. Currently accepted theory even states that Jupiter likely played a key role in the formation of our entire solar system. Without further ado, let’s assume all necessary technology is in place to protect from harm and see what it would be like to live on Jupiter. Jupiter – Quick Facts Distance from Sun: 484 million miles Text Message to Earth: Takes about 48 min. Mass: 318 x Earth Width: 11 x Earth Gravity: 2.4 x Earth Length of Day: 10 hours (42% of 1 Earth Day) Length of Year: 4,333 days (12 x 1 Earth year) Average Temperature: -166º F Pressure: Unknown Moons: 67 known Rings: Yes Scouting a New Neighborhood You now officially live in the outer solar system, with your new home just under 500 million miles away from planet Earth. Out here, things start getting really weird and spooky. We have already visited the inner rocky planets, like Venus, Mercury, and Mars were dangerous enough. But, the outer solar system is an entirely new arena of dangers. Picking out the region in which you’ll now receive your mail will be most important. Let’s go over the options. Here is a video from NASA to hear the actual sound of Juno entering Jupiter’s eerie magnetic field: Remember the metallic hydrogen ocean inside of Jupiter? Yeah, that metal is now a super-conductor for these particles. That surface layer real-estate is looking pretty good right now, eh? Even still, you will need very sophisticated protection against this strong field and its radiant properties. According to a study using data from the Voyager and Galileo missions, Jupiter’s moon Io’s volcano clusters are offset hundreds of miles eastward of where they were predicted to be. (NASA/JPL) Your Typical Day on Jupiter Having a bad day? Hate Mondays? The good news is that your new day living on Jupiter only lasts five hours. So, you’ll only have to wait for 20% as long for the next episode of The Walking Dead to air. Jupiter is the biggest and fastest-spinning planet in our solar system. Kind of like an NFL lineman running a 4-second 40-yard-dash. The planet rotates once every 10 hours. Jupiter’s gravity is immense, nearly three times that of Earth. So, productivity will be a concern. The amount of sluggish activity you will fit in a five-hour day will be very little. You will want your office, your favorite restaurants, and your gym nearby. Between your sloth-like movement and your planet being almost 300,000 miles around, getting from point A to B will not be quick. However, living on Jupiter does have some perks. For instance, every two weeks, you can watch the Juno spacecraft fly by as it orbits. Nostalgically, this will be the new version of what the International Space Station was on Earth. Plus, depending on your selected location, you could get a close-up view of three faint rings (above). Yes, your new home has a ring system. They are very sparse, nothing like Saturn’s famous rings. Telescopes from Earth never see these, so this might be a nice treat. Your Typical Night on Jupiter Nighttime on Jupiter will be similar to your day; brief. Only lasting for a short five hours, you will want to maximize sleep. But, if you do want to stay up, there are some sights to see. Do you ever stay up late on Earth to see the Moon on a summer night? Living on Jupiter, you have 67 Moons, maybe more. Ganymede, our solar system’s biggest Moon, floats nearly 700,000 miles out. But, at over 3,000 miles wide, Ganymede is 8% larger than planet Mercury, so it should be easily viewed. Actually, Ganymede, alongside Io, Callisto and Europa, is one of four Galilean Moons. Discovered in 1610 by famous astronomer Galileo Galilei, these Moons were the first known object to orbit another planet. So, you will be front row for some of astronomy’s most epic history. Finally, if you venture up North, you can see the biggest auroras in the solar system. They are bigger than the entire planet Earth and are the main focus of Juno’s mission. Despite their incredibly dangerous radiation and electricity, they would put our northern lights to shame. Your Typical Year on Jupiter In contrast to your brief days and night, your new home’s calendar year lasts 4,333 Earth days. That is nearly twelve times your normal Earth year. Because of this long year, if you left Earth in your 30s, you are just now fighting your way through the “Terrible Two’s” on Jupiter. Also, with your nagging new gravity, your weight will spike … a lot. In other words, if you left Earth a fit 150 pounds, you now weigh in at 350 pounds. If you could leap 20 inches high on Earth, you sadly only have eight inches of “ups” now. Finally, if you were proudly bench-pressing 200 pounds on Earth, you are now putting up 80 pounds. Maybe you can open up a new Jovian gym called 10 Hour Fitness? Bottom line: you are now a slow, overweight two-year-old with a pathetic vertical, putting up disgraceful numbers in the gym. So, you might want to put healthy snacks, not far away, on the lowest possible shelves. Your Local Weather Forecast Living …