A Dangerous Sunrise on Gliese 876d
Explanation:
On planet Gliese 876d, sunrises might be dangerous.
Although nobody really knows what conditions are like on this close-in planet orbiting
variable
red dwarf star
Gliese 876, the
above artistic illustration gives one impression.
With an orbit well inside
Mercury
and a mass several times that of Earth,
Gliese 876d might
rotate so slowly that dramatic differences exist between night and day.
Gliese 876d
is imagined above showing significant
volcanism, possibly caused by
gravitational tides flexing and
internally heating the planet,
and possibly more volatile during the day.
The rising
red dwarf
star shows expected stellar
magnetic activity which includes
dramatic and
violent prominences.
In the sky above, a hypothetical moon has its
thin atmosphere blown away by the red dwarf's
stellar wind.
Gliese 876d excites the
imagination partly because it is one of the few
extrasolar planets
known to be
in or
near to the
habitable zone of its parent star.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
