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- [ONLINE] P11F-VR8884: Mercurial Worlds: the Climate Cycles and Habitability of Asynchronously Rotating K-Dwarf Planets
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Ana Lobo, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (First Author, Presenting Author)
Michael Wong, Carnegie Institution for Science
Vincent Kofman, Centre for Planetary Habitability, University of Oslo
Ravi Kopparapu, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Jacob Haqq-Misra, Blue Marble Space Institute of Science
Émilie Anne Laflèche, Purdue University
Eric Wolf, University of Colorado at Boulder
Most stars in our galaxy are smaller and cooler than the Sun. These stars, like the dim orange K-dwarfs, are prime targets in the search for habitable exoplanets because their small size makes it easier to detect Earth-sized planets. But just because a planet lies in the so-called “habitable zone” doesn’t mean it’s actually hospitable. Differences in starlight and planetary motion can create climates that are nothing like Earth’s.This study uses a 3D climate model to explore how rocky planets orbiting K-dwarfs behave, especially those with slow rotations or unusual orbits where a single “day” lasts weeks or months. The simulations include both ocean-covered worlds and dry land planets with limited water.
The results show that water-limited planets can experience extreme seasons: long, warm, wet periods followed by months of deep freeze. These “boom-and-bust” cycles could support life that grows rapidly in warm phases and goes dormant in cold ones. But such seasonal biology would make detecting life harder, since biosignatures might only appear part of the time.
The findings suggest many potentially habitable exoplanets won’t resemble Earth. To assess them properly, we must go beyond idealized ocean worlds and consider a wider range of planetary conditions.
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