Some Potentially Habitable Planets Began as Gaseous, Neptune-Like Worlds
![Strong irradiation from the host star can cause planets known as mini-Neptunes in the habitable zone to shed their gaseous envelopes and become potentially habitable worlds.Rodrigo Luger / NASA images Some Potentially Habitable Planets Began as Gaseous, Neptune-Like Worlds](https://alaska-native-news.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/image30-01-2015-07.29.04.jpg)
Two phenomena known to inhibit the potential habitability of planets — tidal forces and vigorous stellar activity — might instead help chances for life on certain planets orbiting low-mass stars, University of Washington astronomers have found. In a paper published this month in the journal Astrobiology, UW doctoral student Rodrigo Luger and co-authorRory Barnes, research […]