Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

FlingingGoronGonads t1_jdzw1dp wrote

Reply to comment by gg_account in James Webb Space Telescope finds no atmosphere on Earth-like TRAPPIST-1 exoplanet by locus_towers

Some red dwarfs are known to have very turbulent flare activity, so I'm not entirely surprised (although I don't know if this is the case for TRAPPIST-1).

Not trying to be a chauvinist here, but when it comes to understanding planets, astrophysics isn't the be-all and end-all, or planetary science wouldn't exist. Planetary atmospheres are very complex, even simple (and ephemeral) ones like Mercury's, for example.

8

gg_account t1_je09zma wrote

Makes me wonder if B has an atmosphere but it's all frozen into a giant glacier on the night side.

6

worldbuilding_Curls t1_jdzwe5w wrote

Isn't Trappist 1 supposed to be an ultra-cool red dwarf tho?

I mean it still has flares more powerful than Sun, but it is relatively calm.

4

HerderOfZues t1_je0iseu wrote

There is also a counter-argument to the activity of red dwarves. Most planetary systems are on the same axis as the star rotation, the axis of rotation has a lot less direct activity that would be constantly blasted at the planets and mainly happens at the poles. So there is still possibility that even active red dwarves can have habitable planets or planets that it didn't completely strip the atmo off

4