You may have seen news like this in many places: "A super Earth was discovered XX light-years away. The environment is so harsh that scientists believe it is impossible for life to exist." It’s said to be a super Earth, so why is it still impossible for life to exist? What does “super” mean here? Today we will take a look at this issue. English namers come out and get beaten
In fact, English names are very casual. For example, the English name for "artificial satellite" is artificial satellite (satellite), so satellite means satellite? In this case, how do you say "Europa" in English? Is it the second satellite of Jupiter? No, in English it will be called Europa directly.
So if we want to say "Europa is a satellite of Jupiter", how should we translate it? "Europa is a satellite of Jupiter"? No, satellite refers specifically to artificial satellites. If they are naturally formed, the word used is "Moon".
Some students may ask, isn’t Moon the moon? Yes, it is the moon. Its original meaning is the moon, but it can also express the meaning of the satellite. That is to say, if we translate "Europa is a moon of Jupiter", we must not translate it as "Europa is Jupiter" of a moon” (Europa and Jupiter are both names of mythical characters).
You see, because the moon is a satellite of the earth, this word is used directly for the satellites of other planets, so there are countless "moons" in the English world, and "moons" in the western sky. The "moon" is no longer that unique little cutie (Hold tight in Chinese)...
In the same way, the original meaning of the word "Earth" in English refers to the earth or soil. Later, after discovering that the earth is a sphere, the meaning was directly expanded and became the meaning of the earth. You see, although we in Chinese also call it "earth", we also add the word "ball", but they were very casual and borrowed it directly. As long as it is a rocky planet, it is called "Earth"
So according to the urine of Westerners, naturally it will not stop expanding the meaning of this word outwards - in astronomy, English calls all rocky planets It is Earth, so the original meaning of "Super Earth" is not super Earth, but super rocky planet (also called terrestrial planet).
What does "super" mean? It’s not interesting. Just like Japanese people particularly like words like “esoteric” and “super sure kill”, English also likes simple and crude superpositions. If the earth is as big as the earth, it is called Earth, which is about 5 to 10 times the size of the earth. A massive rocky planet is called a Super Earth. How about a larger one? It's called Mega Earth.
In other words, this "super Earth" is just a rough comparison of the mass and shape with the Earth. It has nothing to do with the "characteristics of the Earth" that we think of. It does not necessarily have life, nor does it necessarily have Pleasant surroundings, not to mention earth-like appearance. Most of these planets have environments that are quite unfriendly to life, because the probability of obtaining an environment that is more suitable for life is very low. What is a rocky planet?
Okay, so there is still a question that has not been explained clearly - what is a rocky planet?
If we carefully observe the proportions of the eight planets, it will be obvious that they are divided into two camps - the "giant planet formation" composed of wood, earth, sky and sea, and the "giant planet formation" composed of water, metal, earth and fire. Ordinary planetary phalanx".
So why is the difference in body size so huge? Because giant planets are gas planets, their main components are hydrogen and helium. For example, Jupiter is composed of 75% hydrogen and 25% helium, and other elements add up to less than 1%.
The elemental composition of the universe is about 90% hydrogen and 8% helium, and other elements account for a little more than 1%. This means that the elements of Jupiter are not much different from the average value of the universe.
This is because when the solar system was first formed, it was a huge air mass. Most of the material in it was gathered in the center, which is the sun, due to gravity. A very small amount of dust and gas with very fast initial angular velocity did not have time to fall into the center of the sun. That was done, and these materials formed the planets.
The dust closer to the sun is the "four small" planets in front of us. Because the gravity is too small and the distance to the sun is too close, the violent solar wind strips away all the hydrogen around the orbit and on the surface of the planet, so These planets will expose solid solid material, which is called rocky planets. The outer planets can capture all the hydrogen atoms in orbit, and the more they capture, the greater the convection within the planet, and the stronger the magnetic field they can form to protect the gas from escaping, so they all possess a minimal heavy nuclear element. The gas giant that makes up the core.
It is absolutely impossible for a gas planet to produce life. It is extremely lacking in the elements necessary for life, and because it is too far away from the star, it is usually very cold. Jupiter, the closest planet to the sun, has a surface temperature of only -148°C, and Neptune, the farthest planet, has even had its gas frozen because the temperature is so low, making it the only "ice giant" in the solar system.
Therefore, it has no influence on extraterrestrial life. Of course, exploration must start with the search for rocky planets, but now we know that it is not too early to be happy when we hear that a "super Earth" has been discovered. Life has not yet been revealed.