A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent, torrential blast of energy, which evaporates its hydrogen atmosphere — causing it to puff off the planet.Located 32 light-years from Earth, the parent star AU Microscopii (AU Mic) hosts one of the youngest planetary systems ever observed.
A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit. It is so close to its parent star that it experiences a consistent, torrential blast of energy, which evaporates its hydrogen atmosphere — causing it to puff off the planet.Located 32 light-years from Earth, the parent star AU Microscopii (AU Mic) hosts one of the youngest planetary systems ever observed.

Habitable Worlds, Super-Earths, & Evaporating Planets with Anjali Tripathi

ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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About This Episode

Is Earth going to evaporate? Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice learn about exoplanet discovery, planetary evaporation, biosignatures and technosignatures with astrophysicist Anjali Tripathi.

What is our most studied planet? Learn about Anjali’s time as a White House Fellow and her work with the US Department of Agriculture and climate change. How does NASA give insights on Earth? What can satellites do for you? Plus, we answer audience questions: are exoplanets evaporating?

What is the likelihood of other intelligent life? We discuss intelligent life on Earth and the likelihood of finding life elsewhere in general. Discover spectroscopy, how we learn about the composition of distant exoplanets, and what JWST is discovering about exoplanets. Would we be able to eat and digest life from other planets? Would you want to eat an alien?

Is there a minimum and maximum size for rocky planets to be habitable? We explore planet density, gravity on Mars, and what defines a “Super-Earth.” We break down the different types of biosignature gasses, technosignature gasses, and how pollution could help us find aliens. Are there some gasses that only life can make?

Thanks to our Patrons Christopher Stowe, Bo Cribbs, Jennifer Pierce, Sam Gilbert, Steven Glasser, Antonio Garibay, and David Frigoletto for supporting us this week.

NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can listen to this entire episode commercial-free.



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