Death Magnetic threatens the entire planetary life
Planets apparently can still be unsuitable habitat for life, if they have lost "magnetic shield" that protects them from radiation, scientists say.In order to accommodate a life as we know it, one needs a planet dense atmosphere rich in water vapor and liquid water on the surface. Scientists judging whether or not a planet is habitat estimpând the extent meets these conditions, the estimation being made usually based on the distance at which that planet is from its star.But not only the distance to the star counts in the assessment of a planet as a habitat, said in a recent article.A planet may lose water due to stellar winds - waves of charged particles - if not protected by a strong magnetic field, say researchers at the University of Antioquia, Colombia.Mars and Venus have magnetic fields and stellar winds are believed to have spread most of the atmosphere of Mars, while the remaining Venusian atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide, making it toxic.A magnetic field protects also the inhabitants of a planet of dangerous cosmic radiation (such as Earth's magnetic field protects terrestrial biosphere).In generating the magnetic field of a planet core helps hot melt the planet, therefore, the researchers calculated how long it would take a solid planet to cool atâît much that "its magnetic generator" internal stop working .Then they checked the data on three known exoplanets which are believed to be conducive to life: Gliese 581d, HD 40307g and GJ 667Cc. The results show that the first two planets have magnetic fields strong enough yet (although the limit), but the third is already "finished".Research team leader, Jorge Zuluaga, emphasized the importance of taking into account the magnetic field when estimating the chances of a planet to be habitable. "If we want to evaluate habitabilitatea a planet as accurately as possible, we need this information, not only the distance to the star," he said.
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