There is currently only one known planet that supports life – Earth. But what makes other planets inhospitable? Are there conditions that can make a planet even more hostile than anything scientists have discovered so far?
The Search for Uninhabitable Planets
During a special episode of the Dead Planets Society podcast, recorded at New Scientist Live in London, hosts Leah Crane and Chelsea Whyte explore the concept of uninhabitable planets. They are joined by Lewis Dartnell, an astrobiologist at the University of Westminster, and Vincent Van Eylen, who studies exoplanets at University College London.
Extreme Environments
There are several known candidates for the least-habitable planet. Some are close to our solar system, such as Mercury, which experiences extreme temperatures ranging from 430°C to -180°C. Others are located much further away, like HAT-P-7b, a hot super-Jupiter that is over 1000 light years away. This planet has an incredibly dense and hot atmosphere, leading scientists to believe that it may even rain sapphires.
A Combination of Harsh Conditions
In order to create the most inhospitable planet possible, the hosts and guests of the podcast decided to combine multiple unpleasant properties into one nightmarish world. This hypothetical planet would be subjected to intense radiation, acid rain, extreme winds, extreme temperatures, and seas of lava. Surprisingly, this amalgamation of horrors mirrors some known environments on Earth.
The Dead Planets Society Podcast
The Dead Planets Society podcast takes imaginative ideas about manipulating the cosmos, such as extinguishing the sun or causing a gravitational wave apocalypse, and explores them through the lens of physics to see how plausible they are.
Listen to the Podcast
To listen to the full episode on uninhabitable planets and explore other fascinating topics, subscribe to New Scientist Weekly or visit the podcast page.
Topics:
– Uninhabitable planets
– Extreme environments
– Harsh conditions
– The Dead Planets Society podcast
