How to Make a Design for a Planet

Energy Source

• 1

  Choose a normal yellow star for an energy source that is average in brightness, stable for approximately 10 billion years and has a surface temperature of around 5500 degrees Celsius. The Earth's Sun is a normal yellow star.

• 2

  Choose a blue star for an energy source that has a lifetime of 10 million years or less. This star type is extremely hot, with an average surface temperature of 15,000 degrees Celsius.

• 3

  Choose a red dwarf for an energy source that will last an incredibly long time, perhaps as long as a trillion years. This star type is cooler than a normal yellow star, averaging around 3100 degrees Celsius.

• 4

  Choose a red giant for an energy source in the final phase of its lifetime. These stars are huge and have a surface temperature averaging around 3000 degrees Celsius.

• 5

  Choose an orbit distance from your chosen star type that will give your planet a habitable surface temperature -- closer to a cool star, farther from a hot star. The Earth's orbit distance from the Sun is approximately 150 million kilometers (93 million miles).

Atmosphere

• 6

  Choose how massive your planet will be in comparison to the Earth. A planet's mass affects its gravity and its ability to maintain an atmosphere. For example, a planet that is much less massive than the Earth might not have enough gravity to capture an atmosphere.

• 7

  Determine how many active volcanoes your planet will include, if any. Volcanic activity helps regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- too little might cause excessive cooling, too much might cause excessive warming.

• 8

  Decide if your planet design will allow plate movement, or the shifting of the planet's crust and mantle. Plate movement affects the atmosphere by recycling carbon through volcanoes or by storing it underground.

Life

• 9

  Determine if the properties of your planet design make liquid water possible. If conditions are not correct, surface water will either freeze or evaporate. On Earth, liquid water is necessary for life to grow and flourish.

• 10

  Choose conditions that give plant life enough sunlight, water and carbon dioxide to perform photosynthesis, which releases oxygen into the air. On Earth, this release of oxygen forms a protective ozone layer.

• 11

  Decide what percentage of your planet will be oceans and what percentage will be land. Living organisms in the Earth's oceans and on the land masses produce oxygen that is released into the atmosphere. National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists believe that ocean life is responsible for a greater release of oxygen.

• 12

  Give your planet a name. Record all of the characteristics of its design. Imagine what kinds of life-forms might exist on your planet.