Are other planets warming because of the sun?

Question

Some skeptics cite warming on other planets as an indication of increased solar activity

http://seoblackhat.com/2007/03/04/global-warming-on-mars-pluto-triton-and-jupiter/

If the albedo remains the same the warming expected on earth is

Te = Tp*sqrt(Rp/Re), where Te and Tp are the temperatures of earth and the planet, respectively and Rp and Re are the distances of each from the sun. Skeptics cite a 3 K rise on Pluto, which would imply a 17 K rise on earth if the cause was an increase in solar radiation. Has the earth warmed by 17 K due to an increase in solar radiation or do the skeptics lack a basic understanding of physics? Is the warming claimed by skeptics on other planets consistent with the equation above? If not, are all of the observed temperature changes adequately explained by other mechanisms ie dust storms, changes in albedo, radioactivity, gravitational energy, etc.

Answer 1

No, the evidence that some of them may be warming is sketchy, and the theories for why they may be warming do not include increased solar radiation.

Pluto for example is moving rapidly away from the sun, so its warming is not related to its decreasing solar influence.

Mars is probably the best studied.  It's not firmly established that it's warming at all, and the theories forf why it could be warming (if it is) do not point to the sun:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Well i dont think the other planets are warming up becasue they still have thier ozone layer full as thier is no life forms to destroy the other planets.

its only us humans destroying earth and no other.

the UV rays are only comeing into our atomphe because we have destroyed part of the ozone layer.

its simple really.

Answer 4

Yes, some other planets are warming because of the Sun and some are cooling because of the Sun.  As they approach their orbital apogee they warm up and as they travel away from their apogee they cool down.

Answer 5

Since the warming of some planets is significantly greater than ours, then that is not a problem.

Answer 6

Absolutely not.

As you note, the 'other planets are warming therefore global warming on Earth is due to the Sun' is grossly simplistic.  It boils down to 'Planet A is warming, Planet B is warming, their temperatures are both impacted by the Sun; therefore, the Sun is causing the warming on both planets.'

Of course as you note, the few planetary bodies in our solar system which are warming are doing so at different rates and for different reasons.  If the warming were due to solar effects, Pluto should be warming much less than Earth, not 3 times more.

Not only that, but most of the planets and moons in our solar system aren't experiencing any signifcant temperature change.  The 'skeptics' ignore this fact and cherrypick the few which appear to be warming.

The 'skeptics' favorite example is Mars.  Here's what the scientists at NASA have to say about that:

"The warming we have modeled is caused by changes on the surface of Mars, rather than by any changes in the Sun. Furthermore, the climate forcing process we have identified is caused by the redistribution of bright dust over a darker surface, a process which does not occur on Earth (at least not to such a magnitude that it influences the global climate system). Earth does undergo albedo changes that impact the climate, but the controlling processes are quite different -- such as changes in cloud cover, sea ice, and vegetation. Thus the warming we have modeled is caused by a process that is unique to Mars, and nothing in our work can be used to make inferences about climate change on Earth."

http://humbabe.arc.nasa.gov/~fenton/

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;...

Temperature changes on Mars are explained by dust storms changing the planet's albedo.   Pluto's warming is most likely due to its orbital cycle.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/pl...

And of course the most critical point is that satellite observations have shown that solar irradiance has not increased over the past 30 years.

http://tamino.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/p...

What it all boils down to is that the only ones inferring that warming on Earth and other planets is due to the Sun are the 'skeptics', not the scientists.

Answer 7

Yes

But earth is the only one that has increased exponentially over the past 50 years. All the rest are following the same trends they have for a billion years

Answer 8

Jenn,

Those planets would need a generally thick atmosphere to have a greenhouse effect.  The greenhouse effect is a natural occurrence on planet's with atmospheres.  Only a few elements can have a greenhouse effect, do any of the cited planets have those elements?

Anime,

We don't even know if those other planets have ozone layers let alone a thick enough atmosphere to support an ozone layer.

We are not destroying the Earth, we are merely giving it a "cold".  I am a believer in cleaning up the planet, but the scare tactics used by you alarmists are ridiculous.  

To the point, absorption of the sun's rays is determined by elements in the planet itself.  Our planet's atmosphere and magnetic field shield us from most of the sun's rays.  A planet with a weaker atmosphere and magnetic field would absorb more of the sun's rays and how it is distributed is based on numerous factors.

The sun's radiation will still impact a planet much further than ours with almost the same amount of energy.  hence why Saturn had a nice Aurora Borealis just a little while back.  The one thing these alarmists have right is that the atmosphere does help to determine the climate.  But our atmosphere and magnetic field will block more radiation than Pluto and Mars.  So their warming should be more than ours because they are absorbing more.

Answer 9

I would say no because our planet is warming from the green house effect. and the other planets would not have a green house effect because they have no humans to produce waste and pollutants which make the green house effect

Answer 10

Yes, actually they are, thanks for your question to point this out.