It might be required in the first part to use a higher amount of greenhouse gasses, to speed-up the heating process.Ī terraformed planet has some great risks: Still, the process has some risks, including that of a runaway greenhouse effect.ĭuring terraforming process, if too many greenhouse gasses are released, the planet can become a fireball Earth. It is better to burn methane and other combustible gasses in a controlled way, during terraforming process, then when the planet is already colonized. The best way to do this is directly in the atmosphere, when lightning occurs (or by creating artificial lightning). Other planets might contain high amounts of methane, that can be burned with the oxygen created by genetically modified plants. This might be the case if it contains some toxic molecules that can be destroyed more easily by heat then by cold. In some scenarios, it might be recommended that the planet is first heated and then cooled. For example, a planet might have in its ices huge amounts of carbon dioxide, methane and other natural greenhouse gasses. What can send a planet on a runaway greenhouse effect ever before it is terraformed? Many things. Over time, flares will erode the atmosphere. Still, in case of Proxima Centauri, there have been reported flares to occur at every two hours. Since flares don't last too long, it shouldn't be the case. Before terraforming, we must make sure that a flare will not be strong enough to send our planet on a runaway greenhouse effect. ![]() ![]() M - type stars are the most common stellar population in the Universe and they host many potentially habitable planets. A flare star can dramatically increase its luminosity and heat even up to 100 times in less then a minute during a flare, then it can cool down very fast. Of particular interest are planets that orbit M - type stars, since many of those stars are flare stars. However, since terraforming requires many years and huge investment, probably nobody will try to terraform a planet that is in risk of impact or that has an unstable orbit. The collision with a large asteroid, with a dwarf planet, the gravitational influence of a planet (that can dramatically change orbit) or a change in parent star's behavior might be enough to change the natural equilibrium of a planet. In some cases, maintenance is required before terraforming to ensure the planet does not become a fireball or a Snowball Earth. A fireball Earth can be caused by a series of factors, like excess greenhouse gasses, changes in orbit, changes in parent star's behavior or human activity.
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