How would plants look on Twinsun?

[Chal]

Well, according to scientists, plants on a planet with two suns like Twinsun would be black.

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceno...ns.html?ref=hp

[ras maxim]

Very interesting article. However, I don't think that plants on Twinsun shouldn be black or grey, because each sun lights its own hemisphere. Twinsunian plants don't have to adapt to the lights of 2 different suns.

[Chal]

That is true. However, it would mean that the two suns circle around Twinsun with the same speed it rotates which is implausible. Also, if you think about it, there would never be night on Twinsun.

[ras maxim]

the two suns circle around Twinsun

Suns do not circle around the planet, they are not moons. In real life binary star systems exist, but the interaction of these objects are too complex for me to understand.

Also, if you think about it, there would never be night on Twinsun.

Why? It could be true only in case if the period of the full rotation of Twinsun and the period of its full circulation on the orbit around the binary star system were exactly the same. The change of night and day happens because the planet rotates around its axis.

[Darkflame]

Suns do not circle around the planet, they are not moons. In real life binary star systems exist, but the interaction of these objects are too complex for me to understand.

Its pretty simple; they circle around eachother. That is, the gravational average point between the two.
There could be a planet here, but it seems highly unlikely and the planet wouldn't be effecting their orbits.

In real binary systems the gap between the stars is so vaste they could effectively each have a small solar system.

My own pet theory, mind you, is that Twinsuns stars orbit indepedantly around some superdense, yet dark, object. (so its like two solar systems above one another)

Why? It could be true only in case if the period of the full rotation of Twinsun and the period of its full circulation on the orbit around the binary star system were exactly the same. The change of night and day happens because the planet rotates around its axis.

Your correct, but remember that the axis of twisen is showen as almost directly in line with the suns based on the equator, so while (imho) it probably does have a wiggle, the nights will be very short.

[ras maxim]

Its pretty simple; they circle around eachother. That is, the gravational average point between the two.

Thanks for explaining.
However, a lot of more interesting questions arise.

[Echomote]

I think you're thinking way too far into it. Fred is no Larry Niven.

[Polaris]

Originally Posted by ras maxim

Twinsunian plants don't have to adapt to the lights of 2 different suns.

True, but it means that plants on each hemisphere are unique and adapted to their respective suns. Which means they should have different colors.

[Darkflame]

True, especialy as we are told specificaly the suns are different.

[Chal]

Originally Posted by ras maxim

Suns do not circle around the planet, they are not moons. In real life binary star systems exist, but the interaction of these objects are too complex for me to understand.

Why? It could be true only in case if the period of the full rotation of Twinsun and the period of its full circulation on the orbit around the binary star system were exactly the same. The change of night and day happens because the planet rotates around its axis.

You need to read better. I already said, that it would be implausible.

You also said that each sun lights its own hemisphere, which is said in the opening of LBA1. When the suns don't give any kind of light to the other hemisphere, then each hemisphere has no night.
If they give light to the other hemisphere, though, the plants had to adapt.

[Darkflame]

When the suns don't give any kind of light to the other hemisphere, then each hemisphere has no night.

No, due to the curvature of the planet its still possible for a sun to dip below the horizon (just) even if the suns where directly on the axis. Assuming your not living to close to the polar region. (that is, the nearer to the equator the lower then sun would be)

[Chal]

Originally Posted by Darkflame

No, due to the curvature of the planet its still possible for a sun to dip below the horizon (just) even if the suns where directly on the axis. Assuming your not living to close to the polar region. (that is, the nearer to the equator the lower then sun would be)

Mmhh... that would mean that there is a night at desert island and the well of sendel but the islands that are nearer to the hamalayi would have no nights and maybe even black plants, instead of green ones.

[Polaris]

Nope, he meant just the opposit.

(I foresee a videolink posted by Darkflame )

[Darkflame]

I could, but in this case I think Id need to draw diagrams.
It might also depend on the size of the sun and how far away it is too.

The videos are now at youtube,btw seeing as google video is closing down;
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_lis...9F0BFC419F1466

(actualy, I did mean the opersite, but seeing as the moutines at the equator are so high, you could probably see both suns at once from the top anyway...the hight would overcome the worlds curvature I think)

[Timse95]

i dont want to be an asshole but,

its a game : )

PS: Twinsun can have 2 sons becouse sendel invented it.

[Quetch]

our absorbent light theory would say plants should be even more pale in color if 2 suns would illuminate them at the same time.

2 suns => more energy => less need for pigment to be absorbent => more light can be reflected => more wavelengths bounce off the plant's leafs => brighter color !!!

[Chal]

Not quite. The problem is, that the two suns send out different wavelengths of light. s´So to have the best results for photosynthesis the plants need to be black or a greyish color, as the peaks of energy production lay on different wavelengths of light.

[Twinsan]

Plants on earth are green because the plant pigments including chlorophyll A & B, are unable to absorb green light and as a result it passes through the leaf or is reflected off. Other bands of light undergo this fate but green is the main waste light, while red and purple at the extreme ends of the spectrum are nearly completely absorbed. Now on to the topic of black, anything black is absorbing all bands of light, so in essence a naturally blacked leafed plant would be absorbing all bands of light. Now if a plant plant could absorb all forms of light, it could effectively adapt to any light conditions effectively. Imagine the lust green trees in the forest, normally plant life would struggled to survive in the shade but with black plants they would survive in terms of light being a limiting factor, they would simply absorb the light the trees can not use. In theory there is no significant or accepted reason we have green plants rather than black, but one of the reasons given is down to evolution. Evolution and natural selection together allow species to adapt and change in order to cope with a changing environment, natural selection simply promotes survival of the fittest, a spices that has a select advantage will thrive while spices with out it will struggle and potentially die out. Evolution is the change through time of the traits of a species, this process is imperfect nothing controls mutation it's random, all natural selection is doing is selecting favorable traits produced through change over time like rat resistance to warfrin. Twinsun is a planet supporting a variety of life including plant life, now Twinsun has two different suns both emitting white light and we have no idea what intensity of the bands of light within that white light is. The planet is stabilized between two suns with a polar region running along it's equator and the northern hemisphere is warmer than the southern and the emerald moon more than likely orbits the planet. Now back to black plants, Twinsun simply could be in the same situation as Earth, it simply could not have occurred by evolution. It could simply be the case that green plants can survive on Twinsun and it is more likely that the development of green plants is simply more indefeasible, more likely to occur by random chance than black plants. Earth has had millions of years for plants to evolve, it's not hard to believe that given the evidence that black would provide plants with a select advantage over green another planet like Twinsun, on either hemisphere would have green, red or even blue plants over black or any other colour. Simply the trait of "black plants" may be difficult trait to evolve by random chance, while green plants is simply more feasible. The colour of plants on the planet could be bloody skittles! But I can 100% assure non believers there is no real reason that Twinsun can support green plant life or even the idea of the planet of supporting green plant life as the dominate plant life on the planet.

[Kobold]

I don't remember exactly what made the sky blue on Earth, but I think it came down to the atmosphere. You should take into account that the sky is orange for Twinsun's northern hemisphere - since the atmosphere of the planet can't be different on the northern hemisphere, the sun has to emit vastly different light to make the sky orange there.

[Twinsan]

Originally Posted by Kobold

I don't remember exactly what made the sky blue on Earth, but I think it came down to the atmosphere. You should take into account that the sky is orange for Twinsun's northern hemisphere - since the atmosphere of the planet can't be different on the northern hemisphere, the sun has to emit vastly different light to make the sky orange there.

It's the scattering of light, that's to do with the atmosphere rather than the sun, but it could indicate the intensity of light emitted from the sun is vast. The hot sunny climate would favor plants that had to open their stomata less, but considering Twinsen is stabilized between two suns thus the day light is constant and it stays stationary, plant life in the northern hemisphere would have to be very adept at water conservation. Either way a stomata like structure would have to be present and a chance to loose water. As regards to black and green plants, it would not matter the light is very incense either would do, light will never be a limiting factor in direct sunlight. Red light would be the main light reaching the planets surface so green plants would be very much saturated by the light.

Any questions?

also the scattering effects light of longer wave lengths, since earth is blue and Twinsun N. is orange anything above the wavelength of blue eg. violet light will also be scattered same with Twinsens light basically the only light that is not undergoing Rayleigh scattering must only be red lol! Tbh I would not like to live there, it's shocking how muddy polar island is regardless.

[MatheusMK3]

Originally Posted by Polaris

Nope, he meant just the opposit.

(I foresee a videolink posted by Darkflame )

That's acceptable, since these islands seem to be lots and lots of ice and the other places (where there's no night) seem to be hot and always day...