Sirius - habitable orbit? (link)

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the potential for a habitable orbit around Sirius A, exploring the dynamics of planetary orbits in the Sirius system and the implications for life. Participants examine theoretical models, calculations, and the conditions necessary for habitability, as well as related systems that may harbor planets with suitable temperatures for life.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents an animation suggesting a theoretically habitable orbit around Sirius A, challenging the assumption that planets would be adversely affected by X-Rays from Sirius B.
  • Another participant disputes this by calculating that a planet at 4.76 AU from Sirius A would be ejected from the system after only 1-2 orbits, indicating instability in that orbit.
  • A different viewpoint suggests that while a planet could theoretically support life, the youth of the Sirius system and the recent red giant phase of Sirius B may have disrupted conditions for life.
  • Participants discuss another star system with three detected planets, noting that the middle planet might have a temperature similar to Earth, raising questions about its potential for life.
  • One participant expresses optimism about the potential for life on the middle planet if it is rocky, suggesting that SETI should focus on this system.
  • Another participant argues that even if a planet is too hot or too cold, subsurface conditions could still support life, referencing extremophiles found deep within Earth.
  • A speculative scenario is presented regarding an inhabited world in orbit around Sirius A, prompting questions about the appearance of Sirius A and B from the surface of such a planet and their potential influence on seasons.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the habitability of planets around Sirius A, with some supporting the idea of a habitable orbit while others challenge the feasibility based on calculations and the history of the Sirius system. The discussion remains unresolved with multiple competing perspectives on the topic.

Contextual Notes

Participants' calculations and assumptions about orbital dynamics and habitability are not universally agreed upon, and the discussion reflects a range of hypotheses about the conditions necessary for life in the Sirius system.

MonstersFromTheId
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I thought this was an interesting idea, it's an animation of a theoretically habitable orbit around Sirius A.

It's something *I* didn't expect. I always thought any planet pretty much anywhere in orbit of Sirius A would get baked by X-Rays from Sirius B every now and then.
This site contends that that's not neccessarily true if a planet was found to have the right orbit around Sirius A.
Neat.

Any thoughts?

The link:

http://www.solstation.com/orbits/siriussys.htm
 
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I get a different result. Using that website's data for Sirius A & Sirius B mass, semi-major axes, and eccentricity, I find that a planet orbiting 4.76 AU from Sirius A is ejected from the system after only 1-2 orbits.

If I put the planet 4.76 AU from the AB barycenter rather than from Sirius A, it doesn't even complete 1 orbit.
 

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If by _habitable_ you imply will be able to support life, then I think okay - if your calcs are right. If you imply has life, then I think difficult if not impossible, because sirius A is too young a system, and Sirius B will have gone through red giant phase relatively recently, disrupting all hopes for life.

I digress from your dynamics, sorry!
 
rollingstone said:
If by _habitable_ you imply will be able to support life,..

what do you think (habitable or not) about this system 15 lightyears away?

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=79055

three planets have been detected
the inner one is too hot
the outer one is too cold
but the middle one would be roughly same average temp as earth

(I guess it would need to have satellites like the jovian system because the main planet is jupiter-size, but anyway temp seems right)

for data relevant to temperature, see
https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=604011&postcount=4
 
<<<three planets have been detected
the inner one is too hot
the outer one is too cold
but the middle one would be roughly same average temp as earth>>>

If that middle one is a _rocky_ planet then there is every hope for life. So they should steer the SETI dishes in this direction now...
 
If it's 'too hot', then not much hope. However, if it's 'too cold', there may be some ... the Earth gets hotter as you go deeper into the crust, and that heat has nothing to do with photons from the Sun. Too, we now know life is quite comfortable for a number of bacteria and archaea (and maybe even some eukaryotes?) ... even 20 km down, in 'solid' rock. Maybe in some Hadean pool, deep beneath the surface of Gliese 876c ...
 
Supposing 4 a moment...

That there WAS not only a habitable, but inhabited world in orbit of Sirius A.
(This is for a SF story, so a bit of a stretch for artistic license here)
Assuming that this world did lay in the orbit proposed in the link of my orig post i.e. :

http://www.solstation.com/orbits/siriussys.htm

1) What would Sirius A look like from the surface of that world (color, size, brightness, etc.) if it were a more or less Earth like world?

2) What would Sirius B look like?

3) Would Sirius B have a strong influence of the seasons of such a world? Or would its influence in that regard be all but unnoticeable?
 

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