One question occurred to me: how dependent is a gas giant's radiation belt on solar/stellar wind? Could they be reduced in cooler stars so that GG satellites could retain atmospheres?
Eamon
--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 30/4/14, <> wrote:
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Re: Plaintive Cry
To:
Date: Wednesday, 30 April, 2014, 4:39
> Would
a gas giant like Jupiter in orbit where we are produce a
large enough magnetic shield to protect it's > moons without their own
magnetospheres from the solar wind and if so would it have
an outer limit? IE - > would a jovian planet create a habitable zone
around it where moons without magnetospheres would
be > safe? I
assume that beyond that point a moon with a terrestrial
magnetosphere would be safe as well.
I'd actually think it's more
likely that a moon without a magnetosphere orbiting a jovian
with a powerful magnetosphere is more likely to lose its
atmosphere than a moon with a magnetosphere. Jupiter's
magnetosphere actually traps and accelerates the solar wind
particles, which then rain down on the satellites and would
sputter away at their surfaces and atmospheres. I think a
habitable moon would need to have a pretty
strong (earth-strength) magnetic field of its own to
protect against that and be able to retain its atmosphere -
it'd have lots of pretty aurorae
too.
Eamon
--------------------------------------------
On Wed, 30/4/14, <> wrote:
Subject: Re: [Traveller_TNE] Re: Plaintive Cry
To:
Date: Wednesday, 30 April, 2014, 4:39
> Would
a gas giant like Jupiter in orbit where we are produce a
large enough magnetic shield to protect it's > moons without their own
magnetospheres from the solar wind and if so would it have
an outer limit? IE - > would a jovian planet create a habitable zone
around it where moons without magnetospheres would
be > safe? I
assume that beyond that point a moon with a terrestrial
magnetosphere would be safe as well.
I'd actually think it's more
likely that a moon without a magnetosphere orbiting a jovian
with a powerful magnetosphere is more likely to lose its
atmosphere than a moon with a magnetosphere. Jupiter's
magnetosphere actually traps and accelerates the solar wind
particles, which then rain down on the satellites and would
sputter away at their surfaces and atmospheres. I think a
habitable moon would need to have a pretty
strong (earth-strength) magnetic field of its own to
protect against that and be able to retain its atmosphere -
it'd have lots of pretty aurorae
too.