Eyeball Planets, Lobster Oceans? Studying Exoplanet Climates

Headlines about an "eyeball planet" got my attention last month.

Then I got distracted by what I thought were more time-sensitive topics — and remembered what two scientists learned when they simulated ocean currents and winds on a tidally-locked exoplanet.

That last item was from 2013. It's still the best discussion I've seen of what an "eyeball planet" might actually look like. Turns out that a patch of open ocean on a tidally locked exoplanet's ocean wouldn't necessarily be circular.

But I'll admit that "eyeball planet" is a cool description. And may be easier to remember than terms like "lobster-like spatial pattern".

So this week I'll be talking about LHS 1140 b, which may not be an "eyeball planet" after all, ocean planet simulations; and — briefly, for me — how I see extraterrestrial life.

• LHS 1140 b: Water, With Nitrogen in the Atmosphere — Maybe
• Tidally Locked Ocean Planets: Simple, and Not-So-Simple, Models
  • Exoplanet Climate Simulations and a "Lobster-Like Spatial Pattern"
  • That's No Lobster, That's a Spaceship!
  • Somewhat Simple Simulations, Dynamic Oceans
• Extraterrestrial Life, the Universe, and Me
  • Still Looking For Life, Still Learning

More at A Catholic Citizen in America.

(A quick look at exoplanet LHS 1140 b, eyeball planets, lobster-shaped oceans, climate simulations, and the ongoing search for extraterrestrial life.)