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PLANETARY TILT NOT A SPOILER FOR HABITATION
In B science fiction movies, a terrible force often pushes the Earth off its axis and spells disaster for all life on Earth. In reality, life would still be possible on Earth and any Earth-like planets if the axis tilt were greater than it is now, according to Penn State researchers.
Dr. Darren M. Williams, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, Penn State Erie, the Behrend College, working with Dr. David Pollard, research associate in geosciences at Penn State, used general circulation climate models to simulate a variety of tilts, carbon dioxide levels and planets. They reported on their findings in the International Journal of Astrobiology.
Findings showed that none of the planets with increased tilt had permanent ice sheets near the equator. This, however, does not guarantee that a world is suitable for life, the researchers note. The extremes of temperature on most of the simulated earths would make it difficult for all but the simplest Earth life forms to survive. Extremes caused because the tilt puts large portions of the planet in 24-hour darkness or 24-hour sunlight for long periods would also inhibit photosynthetic organisms. The researchers suggest that even with high tilt, life can exist on the planets they modeled.
The National Science Foundation supported this work.