'Unstable' moons may be obliterating alien life across the universe

[admin]

Simulations show that collisions between moons and planets may be a regular danger for possible extraterrestrial life.

'Unstable' moons may be obliterating alien life across the universe : Read more

 

[Rcarlberg]

Back in the early-'90s when I worked at Ballard Computer, we played with a new Mac computer game called "Gravitation" which allowed you to create 2-d planetary systems. You could create an 'anchor' body, like a sun or a large planet, and then make other smaller planets/moons and give them velocities and trajectories, using the real gravitational formulae. It turned out to be SURPRISINGLY difficult to create a stable orbit. Adding additional bodies just made it more difficult, and any kind of retrograde orbit? Forget it. Sure disaster.

Ever since, I've been much more respectful of the real planetary systems. What we see out there is the result of millennia of trial-and-error, with most space debris having been eliminated by collisions. I'm not surprised the above article talks about "unstable moons" -- 99% of them are unstable.

But extra-terrestrial life? Hey, that's WAY more unlikely than stable orbital dynamics.

 

[Stephan Gunther]

Back in the early-'90s when I worked at Ballard Computer, we played with a new Mac computer game called "Gravitation" which allowed you to create 2-d planetary systems. You could create an 'anchor' body, like a sun or a large planet, and then make other smaller planets/moons and give them velocities and trajectories, using the real gravitational formulae. It turned out to be SURPRISINGLY difficult to create a stable orbit. Adding additional bodies just made it more difficult, and any kind of retrograde orbit? Forget it. Sure disaster.

Ever since, I've been much more respectful of the real planetary systems. What we see out there is the result of millennia of trial-and-error, with most space debris having been eliminated by collisions. I'm not surprised the above article talks about "unstable moons" -- 99% of them are unstable.

But extra-terrestrial life? Hey, that's WAY more unlikely than stable orbital dynamics.

Microbial life may not be uncommon.