Forest planet

Forest planet is a category or type of hypothetical planet with surface covering of larger plant life in at least a majority percentage, or a surface close to or entirely of forests. The Earth, even covered with some forests, is not considered a forest planet since it is covered by forest by approximately 9.4% of its surface (or 30% of total land area); also because the Earth is covered mostly, 70.9% with oceans. Forests function as habitats for organisms, hydrologic flow modulators, and soil conservers, constituting one of the most important aspects of a planet's biosphere. Since the first microlensing detected the signature of far away planets, and proven the existence of other planets, it follows categorically that a Forest Planets must exist orbiting other stars.

Planetary Characteristics

There are limitations to what parameter ranges such planet will exist, survive, and thrive. The main climate type of the planet will be conducive to the forest plant life, and abundant (local version of) precipitation would be necessary, i.e. rain.

Physical Characteristics

Such a planet would require a minimum amount of water or equivalent major life component. Hydrospheric (or equivalent) percentages would fall between 29.10% minimum and a 71.90% maximum.

Orbit Characteristics

The orbit of such a planet can not take it too close (periastron) to its star or the plant life would burn. The orbit of such a planet can not take it too far (apoastron) from its star or the plant life would freeze. Although current understanding of forest planet life is that it can hibernate for periods of time, long lasting winters would have a petrification effect that would lead to severe erosion of biomatter and cause death.

Physical Appearance

Appearance of planet from space

Depending on the orbit characteristics of the planet, there will be seasons if the axial tilt is greater than nil.
And even if the axial tilt is nil there May Be sufficient eccentricity to the orbit to cause a periastron/apoastron season cycle.

Such planets may appear green if forest is made mainly of Earth-compatible trees. This type of planet may also appear in other colors such as red if some forest is made not only of trees, for example tree size mushrooms.

If the forest planet is made of trees, the planets may appear green only for part of its year. When it is autumn, the color of planet changes to autumn colors such as yellow, orange, red and brown, because tree leaves change to these colors like it does on Earth. When it is winter, most trees lost all the leaves and planet may appear brown by the presence of wood. It may also appear white in some spots because of its snow on its planet's surface. When spring comes, the planet color will turn back green as leaves in the most trees grow. By summer, the planet will be greenest. In CONTRAST, though, mushrooms don't change colors throughout a seasonal year.

Detection and Classification

Another complicating factor in the search of criteria is that only a tiny portion of a planet needs to be habitable to support some "Forest" life. Astrobiologists often concern themselves with "microenvironments" noting that "we lack a fundamental understanding of how evolutionary forces, such as mutation, selection, and genetic drift, operate in microorganisms that act on and respond to changing microenvironments."

More mainstream researchers have arrived at related conclusions, however, without necessarily accepting the teleology implied by Lovelock. David Grinspoon has suggested a "Living Worlds hypothesis" in which our understanding of what constitutes a life-bearing planet. Planets that are geologically and meteorologically alive are much more likely to be biologically alive as well and "a planet and its life will co-evolve."

Further Study

So far forest planets have been found to occur mainly in science fiction, such as Star Wars and Star Trek.

• Terraforming of Mars - future Forest Planet
• Chicken or the egg - the teleology of planets

See also

• Forest
• Hypothetical planets

:*Vulcan (hypothetical planet)

• Hypothetical planetary object
• Planets in science fiction

List of Star Wars moons

Forest moon of Endor

• Desert planet
• Ocean planet

• Extraterrestrial skies
• Planetary science

:*Planet

:* Minor planet

:* Dwarf planet

• Planetary system
• Landings on other planets
• Planetary habitability

External links

• Endor at star wars databank.
• Endor 'Holocaust' at Star Wars Technical Commentaries.