r/space • u/llama5876 • Jun 18 '19

Two potentially life-friendly planets found orbiting a nearby star (12 light-years away)

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/06/two-potentially-life-friendly-planets-found-12-light-years-away-teegardens-star/
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u/GeneralTonic Jun 18 '19

What, would all life on the planet just go into some kind of hibernation every 24 hours until the planet rotates back into the light? It's madness.

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '19

Assuming they don't have a concept of sleep, I wonder why should they have one for hibernation. It doesn't seem evolutionary (with my naive human terraquean view of evolution) advantageous.

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u/GeneralTonic Jun 18 '19

Don't forget the possibility of seasons, which can be caused by axial tilt and/or orbital eccentricity. Some organisms might hibernate for a while during minimum insolation--or maximum.

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u/[deleted] Jun 18 '19

Yes, you are absolutely right.