What If You Spent a Day on Each Planet in the Solar System？
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- čas přidán 29. 06. 2024
- Did you know, folks, that the number of hydrogen atoms in a single water molecule exceeds the number of stars in the solar system?
While you ponder that, I'd like to invite you all to an intriguing experiment.
Today, we'll be touring the solar system, exploring whether one could survive for a minute on each planet.
The Sun
Of course, the Sun isn't a planet, but for convenience, let's start our journey here.
For all the travelers who have decided to spend their vacation on this star, I have two announcements.
There's good news and there's bad news.
Let's start with the good news.
Former NASA engineer turned cartoonist, Randall Munroe, believes that such a journey is entirely feasible for short durations.
Let's say you all just took a quick jaunt to the Sun's edge for just a nanosecond and then returned to Earth.
In that case, the journey to the cozy region known as the chromosphere, at a toasty 5,500 degrees Celsius, would be challenging but should be successful.
Mercury
Mercury, the first planet in the solar system, boasts an extremely tenuous atmosphere, intense solar radiation, and a temperature range from a blistering minus 180 degrees Celsius to a scorching plus 430 degrees Celsius.
However, it does have a surface comprised of rocks.
Could it be possible to enjoy oneself here?
At least, could one find a somewhat comfortable spot near the terminator, the boundary between the lit and unlit portions?
On this planet closest to the Sun, could one spend even a single day of vacation?
Ah, indeed, this is a crucial question.
This is because Mercury rotates slowly, with one day-night cycle lasting a whopping 176 Earth days.
Venus
Venus, the second planet in the solar system, is the hottest planet in the solar system.
The temperature on this planet reaches a scorching 464 degrees Celsius.
If you've ever been inside a greenhouse, you might understand why Venus is hotter than Mercury.
It's because of the dense atmosphere of carbon dioxide, with layers of sulfuric acid, sulfur gas, and chlorine clouds, creating a greenhouse effect.
Moreover, Venus has extremely high pressure, 92 times that of Earth's.
On Earth, you would experience similar pressure diving down to a depth of 900 meters in the ocean.
However, it's probably best to avoid doing so without a submarine.
The Earth
The third planet in the solar system, Earth, could be said to have been precisely crafted for humanity.
In most places on Earth, it's entirely possible to spend more than a day, and there are plenty of places where you'd want to stay even longer.
How happy and comfortable it is-well, isn't it more of a philosophical question by now?
Furthermore, a French woman named Jeanne Louise Calment reportedly lived for 122 years and 164 days on Earth.
By the way, this is a world record!
Mars
In the search for suitable locations for colonies beyond Earth, Mars stands out as a prime focus of human attention.
This is partly influenced by the fascination with Martians that was popular a hundred years ago.
Additionally, another reason we turn our attention to Mars is its relatively comfortable temperatures, ranging from minus 110 degrees to plus 35 degrees Celsius.
While it's not quite the beaches of Bali, it's considerably more comfortable compared to other planets.
Could one spend a day here?
The answer is, unfortunately, no.
Mars has hardly any atmosphere, with just a thin "veil" of carbon dioxide.
Jupiter
While the planets we've seen so far in the solar system at least had solid surfaces beneath our feet, Jupiter marks the beginning of a world of giant gas planets.
The journey here is akin to an endless freefall, continuing until one is crushed by immense pressure.
And it's no wonder.
Jupiter, with 318 times the mass of Earth, is the heaviest planet in the solar system.
Furthermore, this massive body rotates at an incredibly fast pace, with a day lasting only about 10 hours.
Though much shorter than Mercury's day, there's no luxury of walking with stones underfoot.
To truly feel Jupiter's gravity, one must venture closer.
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune
What applies to Jupiter also applies to Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Regardless of which giant gas planet one may journey to, humans would barely survive for less than a second, making the venture inherently reckless.
Perhaps humanity should consider directing its gaze towards the moons of Jupiter and Saturn instead.
There, the conditions for the evolution of life may be present.
Examples include Ganymede, Enceladus, Europa, and Titan.
While it may not be comfortable without specialized equipment, there is a chance of survival.
Perhaps, in the distant future, one of these moons may become a second home for Earthlings.
The first sentence was ridiculous.
the number of hydrogen atoms in a single water molecule exceeds the number of stars in a solar system :D so true one sun 2 hydrogen atoms :D
On Saturn's moon Titan, a human could likely survive for quite a while with only an oxygen tank and _very warm_ clothing.
uh the only star in our soloar system is the sun so yes the number of hydrogen atoms exceeds that but not by much. Im still in awe at how many people dont know that our sun is a star..
And it's a relatively small star.
Agreed. Many actually prefer the Moon to the Sun. After all, it shines for us at night when it's dark, whereas the Sun shines during the day when it's already light out :)
Maybe 24 hours on each planet was a better title since one day doesn't have the same duration on each planet.
Indeed, but considering we'd barely survive a few minutes on those planets, one day is quite an optimistic estimate, wouldn't you say? :)
@@topaz3094 That's true, we would suffocate within a minute, even on mars i think. Clean oxygen sure feels good. It's hard to grasp a living being breathing anything other.
Might be worth considering making the same change on Venus as you would in the deep sea, go up!
If you get high enough, temperature and pressure get earthlike, so you could survive in just a balloon of breathable air.
That's an interesting idea! It's like creating a floating habitat in the sky of Venus. I wonder how feasible it would be to maintain such a structure in the harsh conditions of the Venusian atmosphere.