G0at0verL0rd
Acolyte
I have an idea for a planet where the axis is point horizontally instead of vertically like our earth. What would happen to a planet like that?
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Tilted axis
- Thread starter G0at0verL0rd
- Start date
ScaryMJDiamcreep
Troubadour
Just look at Uranus to see how that works.
Vaporo
Inkling
Near the poles, a "day" would last a year. Moving form summer into winter, the sun would appear to slowly spiral downward towards the horizon before permanently disappearing for six months. Then, it would reappear and slowly spiral back to its peak at summer again. These "seasons" would be states of extremes. The temperature would rise far higher than anything seen on earth during the summer, and drop to something similar to earth's arctic winter. Life could still exist, but it would be adapted to grow quickly during the more moderate temperatures between the changing seasons before hibernating.
As you move closer to the equator, you will find that there are two periods of time each year when the sun rises and sets relatively normally. The nearer you are to the equator, the longer this period of "regular days" lasts. At the equator, there is no time of year when the sun is not visible once a day. This part of the world will seem to have two summers and two winters. Throughout the year, the sun will rise and set on a twelve hour time schedule.However, the sun's path will still drift toward the horizon twice a year, resulting in a bi-annual deep freeze as the region enters perpetual twilight where the sun barely moves above the horizon. At the "equinoxes," the sun will rise and set directly overhead, resulting in temperatures akin to those at earth's equator. Although, it would probably be made a bit more temperate by the oceans and lakes of the world acting as a heat sink and absorbing heat during the summer.
All in all, a would of extremes. Parts near the equator escape the burning heat of summer, but nowhere escapes the annual or bi-annual deep freeze. Weather on this planet would likely be extremely volatile, with enormous storms battering the globe.
As you move closer to the equator, you will find that there are two periods of time each year when the sun rises and sets relatively normally. The nearer you are to the equator, the longer this period of "regular days" lasts. At the equator, there is no time of year when the sun is not visible once a day. This part of the world will seem to have two summers and two winters. Throughout the year, the sun will rise and set on a twelve hour time schedule.However, the sun's path will still drift toward the horizon twice a year, resulting in a bi-annual deep freeze as the region enters perpetual twilight where the sun barely moves above the horizon. At the "equinoxes," the sun will rise and set directly overhead, resulting in temperatures akin to those at earth's equator. Although, it would probably be made a bit more temperate by the oceans and lakes of the world acting as a heat sink and absorbing heat during the summer.
All in all, a would of extremes. Parts near the equator escape the burning heat of summer, but nowhere escapes the annual or bi-annual deep freeze. Weather on this planet would likely be extremely volatile, with enormous storms battering the globe.
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This is not just a simple list of "things that would happen." You should look more into the question, do some research, because the implications are going to vary wildly depending on how far from the sun, rotation speed, exposure to solar winds, and so on. Sounds like a good question to ask of planetary scientists. They think about this sort of thing.
Edit: I almost deleted this because I've no idea if I got even the basic set up right, but I'll leave it anyways.
To think about the fantasy story implications more than the science, just thinking about what that would mean for the climate for a second, on half the planet it would always be day, and on the other half, always night. You'd have a hot pole and a cold one, both more extreme than anything on Earth, and most of humanity would probably live along the equator, probably favoring the dark side a bit more than the light one. I imagine that being surrounded on two sides by vast expanses of burning desert and freezing tundra would make the world a tense and scary place, ripe for a horror story.
To think about the fantasy story implications more than the science, just thinking about what that would mean for the climate for a second, on half the planet it would always be day, and on the other half, always night. You'd have a hot pole and a cold one, both more extreme than anything on Earth, and most of humanity would probably live along the equator, probably favoring the dark side a bit more than the light one. I imagine that being surrounded on two sides by vast expanses of burning desert and freezing tundra would make the world a tense and scary place, ripe for a horror story.
