Man's Next Migration

A Waterworld Goldilocks Planet

News spread recently about a super-earth sized planet that has been recently discovered to contain one of the most essential compounds for life to exist in the universe, water.  With a mass of approximately five to ten times that of earth, GJ 1214b is one of the three exoplanets to have been detected and classified as a super earth by MEarth, a group of astronomers searching for earthlike planets. Most extrasolar planets that have been discovered in the past were huge and hot Jupiter-like gas giants while some were seen as frozen inhospitable planets.

GJ1214b, a massive planet that can house about six earths, orbits a red dwarf at a distance of 1/40th the span between Mercury and our sun and is about forty light years away from us. While some would dismiss the findings and wave off GJ1214b because of the abnormally close orbit with its parent star, we see a different picture and we are inclined to agree with what the scientists have to say. First, the star is a red dwarf, and is significantly more than three hundred times less luminous than our own. Second, scientists believe that its thick atmosphere allows liquid water to exist due to the pressure exerted on the planet’s surface. Third, the observations and smart conjectures are convincing enough such that the presence of water itself on the planet immediately opens up a million of possibilities. Wasn’t there a saying back in school that says “water is a universal solvent”? We use water in our everyday lives and of course, our bodies are mostly made up of water. There is apparently no reason why humans cannot survive there.

Whether you say that’s going overboard or not, there are several reasons why humans could possibly survive in such conditions. While it is true that temperatures in the planet may reach as much as 280C (previous exoplanet discoveries yield a measure in the thousands), does that mean that its dark side (the one which does not face the heat of the star directly) harbors the same temperature? Our instruments are not yet that sensitive but the question remains. The temperatures would not fall down that much since most probably, convection through the water may distribute heat throughout the planet. Further, scientists believe that the atmosphere may only be hydrogen and helium. But since there is water, it is not impossible to generate oxygen. After all, what would electrolysis of water be for? With that massive size, and an abundant supply of water, GJ1214b is a water, oxygen and hydrogen resource planet for future space colonies. It may supply these three resources to other planetary systems that are starved of water and breathable air.

The thick atmosphere may significantly block out the red dwarf’s light which may pose a problem. To circumvent this, a space elevator may be constructed to harvest solar energy in space and send it down back to earth. In the long run however, the planet may undergo terra-forming processes to make its environment friendlier for some of the more extreme earth flora to flourish.

The last waterworld earth-like candidate was announced in 2007 to be one of the planets orbiting well-known star Gliese 581. About 20 light years away from earth, the red dwarf hosts 4 extrasolar planets with two of them notable super-earths. Gliese 581 c, a rocky planet with 1.5 times the earth’s diameter but with a mass five times as much, was first thought to be a potential habitable planet. In April 2009, the spotlight shifted  to the icy Gliese 581 d, when it was found out through calculations that the planet lies at the heart of the “goldilocks zone” itself where liquid water may exist.  Because of its mass, which is seven times that of earth, it would appear more like an icy Neptunian planet. Since it lies at the more or less perfect habitable zone, Gliese 581 d may possess deep oceans making it in all sense, a waterworld.

The significant discovery leap of detecting Gliese 581 d to the more goldilocks planet oriented GJ1214b is a testament to the advances in the technology of detecting earth-like exoplanets. MEarth, the team behind GJ1214b’s successful detection, believes that it is only a matter of time before the discovery of a habitable planet situated perfectly in the “goldilocks zone”.  A waterworld goldilocks planet may appear foreign and unfriendly to a human being’s eyes. But we have made several proposals mentioned in the Man’s Next Migration book that further supports the adaptability of humans in this type of worlds. If one such planet is detected and proven to exist, it is a better candidate than most hostile exoplanet worlds elsewhere in the galaxy.

References:

Lisa Grossman. Super-Earth found close by, may host water. Science Daily. 16-December-2009. Retrieved 24-December-2009
Astronomers Find Super-Earth Using Amateur, Off-the-Shelf Technology. HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS. Retrieved 24-December-2009
Lightest exoplanet yet discovered. European Southern Observatory Press Release. 21-April-2009. Retrieved 24-December-2009