Super Earths

[Cath]

Youtube link

[ronin]

Why do they refer to them as "Super Earths" ?

Only one in the selection may be a possible analogy to Earth.

6x the mass and molton rock because the planet is too close to the parent star is not an "earth" either super or not.

One is liquid H or He covered, slightly cold for "Earth"

One is blasted by solar flares and X-rays, again Earth-like ??

At least 2 appear to be covered in molton rock, anyone want to go sit for 24 hours in a lava flow ?

So why the use of the term "Super Earth"?

They are simply exoplanets, the term "earth" seems utterly incorrect.

[Cath]

I don't disagree

[Tinker1947]

I on the incorrect camp, a Earth should be inhabitable more or less........

[Cath]

Well, whatever labels we obsessively and incorrectly attach to everything we can, it's still fascinating to learn about what's out there

[mikeDnight]

Scientists seem to have a nonsensical view of the universe. For a planet to be earthlike, it would have to be the same size, mass distance, receive the same energy from its star, have the same tilt, the same composition and have a moon of the same distance and mass as ours.

With greater mass we'd hold onto poisonous gasses, with less mass we'd lose our essential oxygen to space. If we were larger we'd receive too much energy from our star, any smaller and we wouldn't receive enough. Without a moon the earths tilt would move into extreme angles for long periods, causing intense scorching and freezing. The distance from our star is also vital for our kind of life to exist. Beyond the constraints of our current orbit in either direction we would be in serious trouble.

An earth like planet would also need a magnetosphere or it would be incapable of having any surface life. Then there's the surface pressure to take into consideration. Venus has often been called Earths Evil Twin. The two have many things in common but I wouldn't want to go there. Mars is similarly uninhabitable. With less mass than the earth it is unable to hold onto its atmosphere. Also, even if we could produce an atmosphere using some Terra forming technology, we could never produce a magnetosphere, so its surface will always be irradiated by high energy particles from the Sun and will always remain sterile.

There are so many factors to take into consideration before we can truly call a planet Earth Like.

Mike :-)

[Cath]

Yeah that's it, you tell em

I guess we need a name that distinguishes a rocky type planet like Earth, Venus etc from a different kind of planet like a gas giant or such like.

Gas dwarf ?

Rocky giant ?

Rocky dwarf ?

Water giant ?

etc