Magnetic death leaves Earth-like exoplanets dried out
- 14:52 17 April 2013 by Lisa Grossman
Seemingly habitable exoplanets may be missing their magnetic shielding, leaving them exposed to damaging radiation.
To support life as we know it,
planets need thick, water-rich atmospheres and liquid surface water.
These conditions have so far only been hinted at, based mostly on a
planet's distance from its star.
But water can get blasted away
by stellar winds unless the planet has a strong magnetic field, point
out Jorge Zuluaga at the University of Antioquia in Colombia and
colleagues. Mars and Venus do not have magnetic fields, and it is
thought that stellar winds stripped away the bulk of Mars's atmosphere,
while Venus's was left with mostly carbon dioxide, making it toxic.
More - Link >>> http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn23393-magnetic-death-leaves-earthlike-exoplanets-dried-out.html
Source: New Scientist Magazine.
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