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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.
Yes, a microscopic solar system can exist. In fact, there are many examples of microscopic solar systems that exist naturally, such as bacterial or fungal colonies. These systems operate on a much smaller scale than our own solar system, but they still follow similar principles of orbit and energy transfer.
The smallest known solar system is the TRAPPIST-1 system, which contains seven Earth-sized planets and is only about 40 light years away from us. This system is considered to be a miniature version of our own solar system and shows that solar systems can exist on a much smaller scale than previously thought.
The size of a solar system is determined by several factors, including the mass of the central star, the density of the surrounding cloud of gas and dust, and the amount of material available for planet formation. These factors can vary greatly, leading to a wide range of sizes for different solar systems.
It is possible for a microscopic solar system to support life, but the conditions would have to be just right. The central star would need to be stable and provide enough energy for the planets to maintain a habitable temperature. The planets themselves would also need to have a suitable atmosphere and liquid water to support life.
Scientists use a variety of methods to study microscopic solar systems, including telescopes, satellites, and computer simulations. By observing the behavior of these systems and analyzing data, scientists can gain a better understanding of how they form and evolve. Additionally, scientists can also create artificial miniature solar systems in a laboratory setting to study their properties and behavior.