Cheap Astronomy - Dear CA #122: Other Planets

Strange new worlds.


Dear Cheap Astronomy – How big can rocky planets and how small
can gas giants get?


Well there is some data, so we don’t have to talk in
hypotheticals. There’s a rocky planet with


about 40 times Earth mass and about 3 and a half times Earth’s
diameter, which is about 85%


of Neptune’s diameter. So, it’s a mighty big rocky planet that’s
approaching gas giant scale.


 


Dear Cheap Astronomy – Will we grow crops in Martian regolith?


So, firstly you can’t really grow any plants from Earth on Mars
since Earth plants need oxygen.


While photosynthesis can make oxygen, plants don’t have vascular
system that can move the


oxygen around. So if there isn’t enough oxygen in the atmosphere
to start with, then the roots


die and the plant dies.


 


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