Super-Earths keep their atmospheres habitable, living up to their moniker. That’s because, according to a recent study, enormous Super-Earth planets can preserve their atmosphere and water for tens of billions of years.
Theoretically, the Earth-like exoplanets can sustain life for considerably longer periods of time than Earth; researchers on the latest study believe they may be habitable for up to 80 billion years. The age of the entire cosmos is estimated to be 13.7 billion years old as a point of comparison.
Super-Earths have atmospheres with increased power.
Computer simulations, according to the astronomers who conducted the new study, which was published in the journal Nature Astronomy, demonstrate that Super-Earths are capable of sustaining their primary atmospheres, which are primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, for billions of years.
Additionally, their estimates revealed that this atmosphere’s density may be 100–1,000 times higher than that of the Earth. Liquid water can exist and last longer than the amount of time needed for life to develop and evolve in this tight atmosphere.
This has significant ramifications for the search for extraterrestrial life since it suggests that focusing on these Super-Earths may increase our chances of discovering alien life. The solid surface mass of these enormous exoplanets is often up to 10 times greater than that of the Earth. According to a recent estimate, there are about 30,000 Super-Earths within 1,000 light-years of Earth.
More than a thousand Super-Earth simulations are run by researchers.
To arrive at their conclusions, the astronomers ran over a thousand simulations of the evolution of Super-Earths with various masses and trajectories. The best candidates for preserving livable conditions, according to their research, are frigid Super-Earths that revolve far from their sun.
The hydrogen-helium atmosphere can last for a very long time and won’t be harmed by stellar wind particles if it is far enough from the host star. The planet will also warm up due to the greenhouse effect at the proper distance.
However, it’s important to keep in mind that exoplanets are often found by observing dips in the brightness of far-off stars. These regular dips show that a planet is in orbit around the star. It is more difficult to find planets that are farther away and have longer orbits around their home stars.
According to the researchers, under perfect conditions, a planet would be able to support life for practically the whole period that its host star is expected to exist, which may be up to eight billion years. The scientists found that a planet might deorbit its star and travel into space under highly unusual conditions, and it could be habitable for about 80 billion years. A wild notion was put up last month by another researcher: extraterrestrial civilizations may have used “rogue planets” as spacecraft to populate new star systems after releasing them from their orbits. That explanation is now marginally more plausible in light of the new data.