A photo from open sources Carbon-rich planets may be much more common than previously thought. About this is evidenced by the results of a new study of astronomers from Yale University. Similar planets are located far beyond outside the solar system. Some may contain huge deposits of graphite or even diamonds. Such abundance puts a number questions about life on these planets, the tectonics of their plates and other geological processes as well as the effects of carbon abundant environment on the climate. “Despite the relatively small amount carbon on Earth, it is he who is crucial for the emergence of life and the regulation of our climate, – comments Study Leader John Moriarty – Question about how a carbon-rich chemical environment can affect the habitability of exoplanets is still open. Perhaps our the study will provoke the interest of other scientists, and together we will find right answers. “In October 2012, co-author of the current study. Nikku Madhusudhan published an article in which it was claimed that the rocky exoplanet 55 of Cancer e (55 Cancri e), in twice the size of the Earth, most likely covered graphite and diamonds. Astronomers previously believed to be similar to Earth exoplanets are mainly composed of iron, oxygen, magnesium and silicon, with a small fraction of carbon. Rich today Carbon planets make up only a small fraction of all exoplanets. Three quarters of their mass is carbon (for comparison, Earth this indicator is only 0.005%). Moriarty and colleagues developed a model to evaluate the composition of exoplanets. Previous models were based on static shots of gaseous disks in which planets form. The new model is tracking changes in disk composition over the years. Researchers concluded that in disks where the ratio of carbon and oxygen exceeds 0.8, carbon rich planets can form further from the center drive. Diamond planets can also form in disks where the ratio of carbon and oxygen is quite low (0.65), but in In this case, diamond planets form close to their star. Previous models have shown that carbon-rich planets can originate only in disks with ratio ratios carbon-oxygen is above 0.8. According to researchers, stars, in discs whose ratio of carbon and oxygen exceeds 0.65, on in fact, much more than stars with a score of 0.8 or higher. A this means that there are actually more diamond planets than predicted earlier. “Our study shows: extraterrestrial worlds can be extremely diverse in their chemical composition, and most of them are radically different from ours planets, “says Madhusudhan. Although astronomers more than a thousand confirmed exoplanets have already been discovered and there is more than 3 thousand candidates for exoplanets, still not exactly clarified the full range of factors that affect the habitability of others worlds. A scientific article was published in Astrophysical. Journal.
Life Climate Exoplanets
