This is for an astronomy class, and we have to design our own world, but I am coming blank on some ideas so I was wondering if you were able to help me out! Please describe the basics of the planet, and answer the questions below. It cannot be one of the planets in our own solar system, we have to create a whole new one but can still use those same properties etc.
1. What type of planet are you creating? Is it rocky, gaseous, or icy? How large is it? How massive? How dense?
2. What type of star(s) does your planet orbit around? What spectral class is the star? What is the star’s luminosity relative to our Sun? Binary stars are allowed.
3. What are the orbital characteristics of your planet? What is the orbital period? How far is it from its star? Is it in the star’s habitable zone?
4. Does your planet have a Moon? How large is the Moon? Is the Moon tidally locked? If so, does the Moon have any tectonic activity?
5. What is the climate of this planet? How does the temperature vary with the seasons? What is the axial tilt of the planet? 6. Does the planet have oceans? Ice caps? Continents? If so, describe them.
7. Does the planet have signs of life? Is life complex? Microbial? What characteristics of the planet make it potentially suitable for life?
8. What are the planet’s surface features? Craters? Volcanoes? Dried up riverbeds?