Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Around Small Stars, Tilted Planets May Be Less Habitable

Around Small Stars, Tilted Planets May Be Less HabitablePlanets orbiting distant stars may have the right conditions for life if they exist in the so-called habitable zone — a region around the star where the planet will receive enough sunlight so that liquid water could exist on its surface. But a new study shows that for a planet orbiting a type of small, dim star known as an M-dwarf, the planet's tilt can make the worldinhospitable, even if it lies within the star's habitable zone. A planet with 0 degrees obliquity has a north pole pointed straight up from its path around its star, while the equator lines up with its orbit.


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