Dark matter could provide heat for starless planets - Polidicks

[img]http://cdn.physorg.com/newman/gfx/news/hires/2011/milkywaygala.jpg[/img] [release][b] (PhysOrg.com) -- In a resent paper posted at arXiv.org and submitted to Astrophysical Journal, Dan Hooper and Jason Steffen, physicists at Fermilab in Illinois, present the theory that cold and dark planets, not heated by a star, could be heated by dark matter. In theory, this dark matter could produce habitable planets outside of what is known as a habitable zone. [/b] While no one knows exactly what dark matter is, it is believed to make up about 83 percent of the universe. The most accepted theory is this dark matter is made up of what are called WIMPs, or weakly interacting massive particles. These WIMPs interact with regular matter by a weak nuclear force and gravity, but they are also antiparticles. When two WIMPs come together, they work to annihilate each other and cause a burst of energy. Hooper and Steffen suggest that should this dark matter be trapped within a planet’s gravity, the bursts of energy could produce enough to warm the planet. When it comes to Earth, the energy that could be produced is low, but in areas of space where there are high densities of black matter; Hooper and Steffen believe there is the possibility of finding planets that could be warmed in this way. Within the innermost regions of the Milky Way, density of dark matter is estimated to be hundreds or thousands of times that in our solar system, and it is in these areas that Hooper and Steffen believe finding a planet heated by dark matter would be most plausible. Traditional planets, heated by stars like our sun, are dependent on the life of that star. This theory would make these dark matter planets have a large advantage over those tied to a star, as the dark matter could provide heat for trillions of years. Hooper and Steffen admit that they currently do not see a way of detecting any of these possible dark matter planets in the near future, but that in theory, it is possible. [/release] [url=http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-04-dark-starless-planets.html]Source[/url]

Made out of wimps huh?

Wouldn't it have to be the perfect amount of dark matter to produce the correct life-supporting temperature? Sounds pretty hard to detect given we can't really directly measure dark matter (have to do a bunch of gravity-measuring magics) [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] Makes the mind wander, though. What if dark matter was some other budding civilization's Sun? How would that affect their perception of the universe? They wouldn't have a great huge ball of plasma to point at and say, "That heats our planet.". Would they attribute it to a higher power? [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] Given there would be no light if it was a starless planet heated by dark matter, they would not perceive the world with eyes as we do. They would probably have sensory organs attuned to sound (similar to bats?)... But that sounds so specific when you think about it, you know. Sound, as we think about it, is just a force, but in actuality it's a bunch of tiny vibrations evolutions has tuned us to be able to detect. Would their atmosphere even accommodate sound? What would they use to perceive the universe if not sound or eyesight?

[QUOTE=Xolo;28953781]Makes the mind wander, though. What if dark matter was some other budding civilization's Sun? How would that affect their perception of the universe? They wouldn't have a great huge ball of plasma to point at and say, "That heats our planet.". Would they attribute it to a higher power?[/QUOTE] We already attributed the power of our own Sun to a higher power in history. In fact we started off pretty much attributing everything to a higher power (mysticism).

[QUOTE=Turnips5;28953866]We already attributed the power of our own Sun to a higher power in history. In fact we started off pretty much attributing everything to a higher power (mysticism).[/QUOTE] Yeah, but A-theism grew pretty quickly with the advent of actual science. Most religious people are only religious because they feel socially obligated to be religious, not because they really believe in God.

[QUOTE=Xolo;28953889]Yeah, but A-theism grew pretty quickly with the advent of actual science. Most religious people are only religious because they feel socially obligated to be religious, not because they really believe in God.[/QUOTE] Looks like this topic is off to a flying start :v:

[QUOTE=Turnips5;28953908]Looks like this topic is off to a flying start :v:[/QUOTE] I don't wanna start any arguments about religion, just saying my thoughts.

Also I agree with you, I'm just saying I think it's likely that most civilizations would start off by using mysticism to explain their world. [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Xolo;28953930]I don't wanna start any arguments about religion, just saying my thoughts.[/QUOTE] Me neither

[QUOTE=Turnips5;28953933]Also I agree with you, I'm just saying I think it's likely that most civilizations would start off by using mysticism to explain their world. [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] Me neither[/QUOTE] I dunno. Mysticism, to me, seems like it comes about as a result of not being able to explain the world as you see it. A world comprised of people who receive primitive/little input from their surroundings would probably fall into mysticism more easily as compared to one like ours, with a number of ways to perceive the world. I don't have a scale of comparison, but I bet, in the grand scale of things, we started looking to science quickly.

I can totally see some planted warmed by the permeating dark matter in a perpetual Summer's evening filled with all sorts of bioluminescent lifeforms.

I think dark matter would make an excellent delicacy.

[QUOTE=Xolo;28954031]I dunno. Mysticism, to me, seems like it comes about as a result of not being able to explain the world as you see it. A world comprised of people who receive primitive/little input from their surroundings would probably fall into mysticism more easily as compared to one like ours, with a number of ways to perceive the world.[/QUOTE] That's what I think. I reckon the default is mysticism, I can't imagine an alien race starting off with anything else.

[QUOTE=Mingebox;28954043]I can totally see some planted warmed by the permeating dark matter in a perpetual Summer's evening filled with all sorts of bioluminescent lifeforms.[/QUOTE] That sounds very possible, too. What cannot come from the environment evolution will surely account for. No reason light could not come from life... It happens at the bottom of the ocean where no light can reach, and in certain caves. [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] When I think about it, I could imagine a race (in the dark) attuned to pressure changes to perceive the world, too, assuming they lived in an atmosphere. Why not, if something as complex as the ear and eyes exist in our race? All it would require would be more complex nerves.

Real quick couldn't the heat of a molten core planet also provide life for a starless planet? I mean even on earth there are places like geothermal vents that allow life to stay warm and get energy without the sun and many scientists believe this is where life might have started anyways. So If my hypothesis is true then there would be a lot of dead to low outputting stars with life on it. And the dark energy thing just adds to this.

[QUOTE=imasillypiggy;28954178]Real quick couldn't the heat of a molten core planet also provide life for a starless planet? I mean even on earth there are places like geothermal vents that allow life to stay warm and get energy without the sun and many scientists believe this is where life might have started anyways. So If my hypothesis is true then there would be a lot of dead to low outputting stars with life on it. And the dark energy thing just adds to this.[/QUOTE] I think so. It wouldn't be able to progress much without external light and heat though, and would probably just be concentrated around the vents.

[QUOTE=imasillypiggy;28954178]Real quick couldn't the heat of a molten core planet also provide life for a starless planet? I mean even on earth there are places like geothermal vents that allow life to stay warm and get energy without the sun and many scientists believe this is where life might have started anyways. So If my hypothesis is true then there would be a lot of dead to low outputting stars with life on it. And the dark energy thing just adds to this.[/QUOTE] Yeah, at the ocean floor there are simple organisms which thrive off thermal vents.

Warm objects emit infrared radiation. So just like a heat seeking camera can see the world, possible organisms living on those planets could use these infrared waves to see their world.

I want space to have my babies.

[QUOTE=maurits150;28954347]Warm objects emit infrared radiation. So just like a heat seeking camera can see the world, possible organisms living on those planets could use these infrared waves to see their world.[/QUOTE] Oh, that's right, too. Their visible spectrum could be totally different from ours! I guess sight really could be universal given that. It seems like the most efficient method with which to perceive everything. Who knows, though, maybe there's some other way evolution has not yet shown us and we have not yet thought up.

About mysticism.. Whole existence is a fucking mystery, and so far humans are the only ones solving or explaining shit. So yeah like Xolo said, some outer planets perhaps already heated by dark energy (technology??) there wouldn't necessarily be light as we know it coming from sun. But with the dark energy you could probably light up a bulb of some sort, but still no benefits from the sun, no different times of the year.. hell because of sun we have the winds, the rain, whatever! So what conclusion am I left to draw? A civilization relying on dark energy seems to be pretty dark in a way, but pitch black? :raise: I don't know.. a fucking cat world, I'm telling you.

[QUOTE=Xolo;28953781]Wouldn't it have to be the perfect amount of dark matter to produce the correct life-supporting temperature? Sounds pretty hard to detect given we can't really directly measure dark matter (have to do a bunch of gravity-measuring magics) [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] Makes the mind wander, though. What if dark matter was some other budding civilization's Sun? How would that affect their perception of the universe? They wouldn't have a great huge ball of plasma to point at and say, "That heats our planet.". Would they attribute it to a higher power? [editline]2nd April 2011[/editline] Given there would be no light if it was a starless planet heated by dark matter, they would not perceive the world with eyes as we do. They would probably have sensory organs attuned to sound (similar to bats?)... But that sounds so specific when you think about it, you know. Sound, as we think about it, is just a force, but in actuality it's a bunch of tiny vibrations evolutions has tuned us to be able to detect. Would their atmosphere even accommodate sound? What would they use to perceive the universe if not sound or eyesight?[/QUOTE] maybe they could navigate through radiation they could "see" the radioactive emissions of objects they could see light in a different spectrum that we do, ultraviolets, infrareds, x-rays, microwaves man thinking about it is so awesome [editline]3rd April 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Xolo;28954087] When I think about it, I could imagine a race (in the dark) attuned to pressure changes to perceive the world, too, assuming they lived in an atmosphere. Why not, if something as complex as the ear and eyes exist in our race? All it would require would be more complex nerves.[/QUOTE] sound is pressure changes minute air pressure changes is how we hear thats why sound is measured in spl, sound pressure level

We can also use it for Starship Fuel.

[QUOTE=Mister Sandman;28960821]We can also use it for Starship Fuel.[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.murrayewing.co.uk/mewsings/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/farnsworth.jpg[/img]