We are building the ultimate Solar System. In Part 1 we chose the right star. In Part 2 we chose the right planets. In Part 3 we chose the right orbits for the planets. In Part 4 we learned two ninja moves about how more than one planet/moon can share the same orbit. Today’s…
We are building the ultimate Solar System. In Part 1 we chose the right star. In Part 2 we chose the right planets. In Part 3 we chose the right orbits for the planets. Today’s job: Discovering two ninja moves that will allow us to pack way more worlds in the habitable zone. The…
We are building the ultimate Solar System. In Part 1 we chose the right star. In Part 2 we chose the right planets. Today’s job: choosing the right orbits for the planets. Let’s get started. Our goal is simple. We want to pack as many planets into our star’s habitable zone as possible. We…
We are building the ultimate Solar System. In Part 1 we chose the right star. Today’s job: choosing the right planets to put in our ultimate Solar System. Let’s stick to two defining characteristics: a planet’s size (or mass) and its composition. We want Goldilocks-ish planets. They shouldn’t be too small, too big, too…
We are building the ultimate Solar System. Here is an introduction to the game. What kind of star will anchor our ultimate Solar System? It comes down to two choices: stars like the Sun or cooler, redder stars sometimes called “cool stars” or “red dwarfs”. Why not stars bigger than the Sun? Because they…
A while back I performed an experiment called build a better Solar System. The game was to make better use of the Solar System’s habitable real estate. In the game I was required to keep all of the Solar System’s planets (and large moons) and their orbital configurations. Just by switching the orbits of different…
