1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
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Earth
Bizarre Cosmic Objects
When does New Year fall
around the Universe?
Earth's year is 365 days long, but if you visit other
planets the year can last thousands of Earth years or
just a few hours
Presentedby
MaggieMcKee
NewYear'sresolutionsaresodifficulttokeepup.Ayearlasts365days,
andthat'sanawfullylongtimetogowithoutchocolateorbickeringwith
relatives.
Aliens,iftheyexist,mayhavequitedifferentattitudestoNewYear's
promises.That'sbecausesomeplanetshavemuchshorteryearsthan
Earth's,whileothersarevastlylonger.Sodependingwherethe
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
extraterrestrialslive,theymightfindtheirresolutionseasytokeepor
impossiblydifficult.
Whythedrasticdifferenceinyearlengths?Themassofthestarhas
someeffect,becausemoremassivestarsswingtheirplanetsaround
fasterthanlessmassiveones,butorbitaldistanceplaysthemainrole.
"Theyearofaplanetisbasicallydictatedbyhowfarawayfromthestarit
is,"saysDavidKippingoftheHarvardSmithsonianCenterfor
AstrophysicsinCambridge,Massachusetts,US.
Mercury(Credit:NASA/JohnsHopkinsUniversity/CarnegieInstitutionof
Washington)
Inoursolarsystem,theplanetclosesttotheSunisMercury,withayear
lastingjust88Earthdays.That'sprobablystilltoolongtostayentirely
onthestraightandnarrowresolutionwise,butcuriouslyit'sshorterthan
thelengthoftheplanet'sday.ThankstoMercury'sleisurelyrotationrate,
adaytherelasts176Earthdaystwiceaslongasayear.
AttheotherendofthespectrumisNeptune,oursolarsystem'smost
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
distantplanet,nowthatPlutohasbeendemotedtothestatusofdwarf
planet.Neptuneliesabout30timesasfarfromtheSunastheEarthand
takes165Earthyearstomakeoneorbit.
Neptune,thefarthestplanetfromtheSun(Credit:NASA)
SowhenisthenextNewYearonthoseplanets?Inotherwords,which
momentinNeptune'sorbitshouldbedesignatedasmidnighton31
December?
OnEarth,ourchoiceof1Januaryasthefirstdayoftheyearispretty
mucharbitrary,butthereisawaytolinkitmorecloselytotheplanet's
orbit.That'sbecausetheorbitsoftheplanetsarenotperfectlycircular,
butratherareslightlyelongated.Thatmeansthereisapointineach
planet'sorbitwhereitcomesclosesttotheSun.Wecouldmakethis
point,calledperihelion,themarkerfortheNewYear.
ThatmeansNeptunians(iftherewereany)wouldcelebratetheirnext
annualbacchanaliain2042.Mercurianswouldonlyhavetowaituntil22
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
January2015.WeEarthlingsjusthavetoholdtightuntil4January:the
datechangesfromyeartoyear.
TheexoplanetGUPisciumb(Credit:MarieEveNaud,UniversityofMontreal)
ButjustbecauseNeptuneistheplanetwiththelongestyearinoursolar
system,itisnotthegalaxy'srecordholderbyanystretchofthe
imagination.Thattitleholder,however,isamatterofsomedebate."The
questionofthelongestyearquicklygetsintoargumentsaboutexactly
whatcountsasaplanet,"saysAdamKrausoftheUniversityofTexasat
Austin,US.
Nearly2000exoplanetshavebeenconfirmed,withanother3000
candidatesfound.Still,"thereisnoformaldefinitionofanextrasolar
planetyet,"saysMarieEveNaudoftheUniversityofMontrealin
Canada.
Nevertheless,wecannarrowitdownabit.First,weruleoutworldsthat
weighmorethan13timesthemassofJupiter,becausesuchweighty
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
objectsaretypicallythoughttobepseudostars,calledbrowndwarfs.
Next,weinsistthatourplanetsallorbitbonafidestars,oratleastthe
deadremainsofstars,ratherthanbrowndwarfs.
"
PSR171914bgoesallthewayaroundinjust
overtwoEarthhours
Inthatcase,thecrowngoestoGUPisciumb,saysNaud.Withanorbit
nearly70timesaswideasNeptune's,GUPisciumbhasayear
estimatedtolast163,000Earthyears,saysNaud,wholedtheteam
thatreportedthediscoveryearlierthisyear.
Attheotherendofthescale,NewYear'sresolutionswouldbeeasyto
keeponPSR171914b.Withalittlewillpower,youcouldbevirtuousfor
anentireyear,andprobablyevenlonger.That'sbecausetheplanetis
250timesclosertoitshoststar,awhirlingstellarcorpsecalledapulsar,
thanEarthistotheSun.Asaresult,PSR171914bgoesalltheway
aroundinjustovertwoEarthhours,makingitthealienworldwiththe
shortestyearknown.
Thesearen'tjusttrivialfactoids."Theyearofaplanetisoneofthemost
importantparameterswemeasureinexoplanets,"saysKipping."Ittells
ushowfarawayaplanetisfromastar,andthatrevealshowhotaplanet
is.ForMercury,youcantellit'sgoingtobewaytoohottohavelifeonit,
andforJupiter,youcantellit'sfartoocold."
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
ProximaCentauri,ourneareststar(Credit:ESA/HubbleandNASA/CCby2.0)
Intheory,aplanetcouldorbitevenfartheroutthanGUPisciumB,even
inourownsolarsystem,saysKipping.That'sbecausetheonlythingthat
limitsaplanet'sorbitisotherstarsthatcanpullitawaywiththeirgravity.
Starsmovearound,butcurrentlytheneareststartotheSunis
ProximaCentauri,about4lightyearsaway.Soanythingcloserthan
abouthalfthatdistanceabout4000timesNeptune'sorbitcouldcircle
theSun,Kippingsays.Thesolarsystemisactuallysurroundedbyashell
oficybodiesthatextendstoaboutthisdistance.
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
Astylisedviewofthesolarsystem(Credit:NASA/JPL)
PlanetscouldtheoreticallyexistwithinMercury'sorbit,buttheycanonly
getsoclosetotheSun.Rockstartstoevaporateatabout1200degrees
Celsius,soMercurycouldstarttovaporiseifitwerefourtimescloserin,
saysScottKenyonoftheHarvardSmithsonianCenterforAstrophysics.
Ateventighterorbits,theSun'sgravitationaltugswilldestroytheplanet.
"There'sonlysomuchstresstherockcantakebeforeitwillbreakapart,"
saysKipping.ThisdistanceiscalledtheRochelimit,andforarocky
planetlikeMercuryit'sabout1%Mercury'sorbitaldistancefromtheSun.
"Wedothinkwe'reseeingsomeexoplanetsthatarerightontheedgeof
havingthiseffecthappen,"saysKipping.Forexample,Kepler78b
sprintsarounditshostinabout8.5hours,orbitingitsstaratabout1%
Earth'sorbitaldistance.Itmaybetheexoplanetwiththeshortestyear
aroundanordinary,livingstar,saysWilliamBorucki,leaderofNASA's
planethuntingprobeKepler.
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1/1/2015 BBC - Earth - When does New Year fall around the Universe?
OnedaytheSunwillswellupintoaredgiant(Credit:SciencePhotoLibrary/
Alamy)
Onelastthing.Ifyoucan'tkeepNewYear'sresolutionsnow,remember
thattheEarth'syearcouldbetwiceaslonginthefuture.That'sbecause,
in5billionyearsorso,theSunwillbloatupintoaredgiantstar.Earth
mightwellgetswallowed,butitcouldescapeif,assomepredict,the
ageingSunshedshalfitsmassinwindsbeforeexpanding.
Ifthathappens,"EarthwillenduporbitingsomewhereoutbeyondMars's
currentorbit,"saysKraus.Itwouldtakeroughlytwoyearstogoaround
theSun.Youmayfeelthat'stoolongtogowithoutchocolate.
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Earth'syearlastsjustover365days(Credit:NASA)
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