Phrenotopia | Alien Life on Proxima b: A Second Earth or Waterworld? | Alien Analysis @Phrenotopia | Uploaded 7 years ago | Updated 1 day ago
Proxima b, also known as Proxima Centauri b, is the closest known exoplanet to our solar system that may be habitable to life as we know it. However, there are many challenges to overcome for biology to gain a foothold and evolution to be kickstarted. Because Proxima Centauri is a much dimmer Red Dwarf star, the habitable zone, where most water exists in liquid form, is many times closer to the star. Therefore, Proxima b will likely be both tidally locked, and pounded by solar flares, coronal mass ejections and ultraviolet radiation from its much more active host star. Also, it is possible that this exoplanet is a waterworld meaning that its mineral core is covered by ice. How could a planet drowned by water and irradiated from space be able to overcome these problems and host life? One possible solution may be surprising...
Please also check out Parallaxicality's excellent video on Proxima b: youtube.com/watch?v=yR8HIDJsaHA&t=424s
Some of the recent research used for this video follows below.
NASA scientists claim that Solar Flares and radiation will have stripped oxygen and hydrogen from Proxima b's atmosphere:
exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1409/planets-of-red-dwarf-stars-may-face-oxygen-loss-in-habitable-zones
Proxima b's magnetic field may be strong enough to retain atmosphere - Dong, Chuanfei et al. (2017):
arxiv.org/pdf/1702.04089.pdf
Proxima b may be a water world according to NASA:
nasa.gov/feature/jpl/study-planet-orbiting-nearest-star-could-be-habitable
Side note: The recent news on the 7 earth-sized exoplanets around the nearby red dwarf star Trappist-1 is also highly significant in this light. Like Proxima b, the exoplanets around TRAPPIST-1 would probably also be tidally locked too and thus provide the same conditions.
CREDITS:
Ambient music:
http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld
http://freesound.org/people/Lemoncreme
Outro music
http://freesound.org/people/frankum
COPYRIGHTS:
Any copyrighted material used in this video is done so for purposes of education, review and/or satire and thus covered by "Fair Use". No ownership is claimed for any such materials other than my own.
Proxima b, also known as Proxima Centauri b, is the closest known exoplanet to our solar system that may be habitable to life as we know it. However, there are many challenges to overcome for biology to gain a foothold and evolution to be kickstarted. Because Proxima Centauri is a much dimmer Red Dwarf star, the habitable zone, where most water exists in liquid form, is many times closer to the star. Therefore, Proxima b will likely be both tidally locked, and pounded by solar flares, coronal mass ejections and ultraviolet radiation from its much more active host star. Also, it is possible that this exoplanet is a waterworld meaning that its mineral core is covered by ice. How could a planet drowned by water and irradiated from space be able to overcome these problems and host life? One possible solution may be surprising...
Please also check out Parallaxicality's excellent video on Proxima b: youtube.com/watch?v=yR8HIDJsaHA&t=424s
Some of the recent research used for this video follows below.
NASA scientists claim that Solar Flares and radiation will have stripped oxygen and hydrogen from Proxima b's atmosphere:
exoplanets.nasa.gov/news/1409/planets-of-red-dwarf-stars-may-face-oxygen-loss-in-habitable-zones
Proxima b's magnetic field may be strong enough to retain atmosphere - Dong, Chuanfei et al. (2017):
arxiv.org/pdf/1702.04089.pdf
Proxima b may be a water world according to NASA:
nasa.gov/feature/jpl/study-planet-orbiting-nearest-star-could-be-habitable
Side note: The recent news on the 7 earth-sized exoplanets around the nearby red dwarf star Trappist-1 is also highly significant in this light. Like Proxima b, the exoplanets around TRAPPIST-1 would probably also be tidally locked too and thus provide the same conditions.
CREDITS:
Ambient music:
http://freesound.org/people/klankbeeld
http://freesound.org/people/Lemoncreme
Outro music
http://freesound.org/people/frankum
COPYRIGHTS:
Any copyrighted material used in this video is done so for purposes of education, review and/or satire and thus covered by "Fair Use". No ownership is claimed for any such materials other than my own.
