Supernova May Explain How Planets are Formed 54
ExE122 writes "A young pulsar that formed from a supernova which happened about 100,000 years ago and is sitting 13,000 light years away may solve some questions about the origins of Earth. From the article: 'Scientists think they have solved the mystery of how planets form around a star born in a violent supernova explosion, saying they have detected for the first time a swirling disk of debris from which planets can rise. The discovery is surprising because the dusty disk orbiting the pulsar, or dead star, resembles the cloud of gas and dust from which Earth emerged. Scientists say the latest finding should shed light on how planetary systems form.'"
They're planets, Jim, but not as we know them... (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)
Ever heard of Zodiacal light?
Any cloud of gas would have been blown out of the system at the early stage of the Sun's evolution (T-Tauri phase), but some dust remains in the solar system. We see that today, too.
Not habitable? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why couldn't you have radiation-tolerant species [wikipedia.org]?
If they went on to have multicellular descendants, then intelligent ones, those descendants could build cheap nuclear spacecraft including Orion-class vehicles and operate them without fear of radiation poisoning.
Re:Does this change what we think the earth's age (Score:3, Insightful)
There's tons of fascinating material about the development of solar systems and planets available. Even the older stuff is interesting, and is generally still roughly correct. Granted, we're learning much more nowadays with more refined detail, and the models we have can be tested against better observations that weren't possible to make a few decades ago. It's a story well worth looking into.
Re:Birds and the bees. Voyeurs in the trees. (Score:2, Insightful)