SpikeVoyager
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Can I microscopic solar system exist out in space somewhere? Can a miniature sun exist? Can there be life on it if it exists?
I don't think that's true. Life (as we know it) needs liquid water, light is not needed. In caves and at the bottom of the ocean there are a lot of living creatures, and they don't get any light.Nereid said:Welcome to Physics Forums SpikeVoyager!
And that pretty much answers the life question too ... while autotrophs may be quite common, 'life' as we usually think of it depends on photosynthesis, which requires a nice source of light. Looks like the answer to your general question is 'no'.![]()
Clarification: 'autotroph' is a general term, and includes plants; what I was thinking of is chemolithoautotrophs, what the 'red tubey things' found near undersea black smokers use as a source of energy, for example. AFAIK, all eukaryotes which live in caves are part of an ecosystem which ultimately depends upon plants and sunlight; those near black smokers ultimately depend either on the Sun or chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. Whether the latter alone can support a complex web of life is an open question today.JV said:I don't think that's true. Life (as we know it) needs liquid water, light is not needed. In caves and at the bottom of the ocean there are a lot of living creatures, and they don't get any light.
So in theory live could exist on a rogue planet. As long as it has a hot core, for pockets of liquid water under the surface.
JV said:I don't think that's true. Life (as we know it) needs liquid water, light is not needed.
No Tom, all that is needed is a usable form of energy.Yes, it is needed.