PV Gap

Jamie Said:

Lets say you could live anywhere in our solar system, where would you live?

We Answered:

I would have my own private asteroid and you're not invited.

Neil Said:

What would it take for us to be able to live on other planets in our Solar System?

We Answered:

Basic food, water, and air apply to all of these, so I'll just list the ones that are unique to that planet.

Mercury -- Heat, UV flux, and radiation protection.
Venus -- Acid protection, some defense from the superdense air. Extreme heat protection.
Earth -- Yay!
Mars -- Something to keep you warm. Perhaps radiation protection (Mars' magnetic field is very weak)
Jupiter -- Er... Jupiter has no surface. So you should get a balloon or something and be in that. You also need extreme, extreme radiation shielding. You also need something to keep you warm if you're in the upper atmosphere.
Saturn -- Same as Jupiter, but you'll not need as much radiation shielding.
Uranus -- Same as Saturn, but you don't need much radiation shielding.
Neptune -- Same as Uranus.

Sylvia Said:

How long did the Supernova that formed the Solar System live?

We Answered:

Its remnant, a neutron star or a black hole, is still out there somewhere. But stars move around the galactic center at different speed, so by now, 4.5 billion years later, it might just as well be at the other side of the galaxy.

Julio Said:

What if the solar system we live in passed though a giant star-forming molecular cloud?

We Answered:

It used to be thought that the solar system passed through such clouds every now & then, and that this might be responsible for ice ages.
Not many think that anymore, and for a star-forming cloud, while that may appear dense, it really isn't. If we were too close (read: about 1/4 to 1/2 a light year) to a star actually forming, that particular region would be pretty dense with gas & dust, and could dim the suns light a little, and the mass of the new star forming might affect the Oort cloud around our solar system & hurl some comets our way.
But unless a forming star were to plow through the middle of our solar system, it generally wouldn't have a huge effect.

Earl Said:

What type of Solar System do we live in?

We Answered:

Answer = heliocentric.
Extra credit = Our solar system is part of the Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way is a barred spiral galaxy.

Victor Said:

is there a website where you can watch the solar system live?

We Answered:

That would be pretty boring - most planets take more than a year to make it all the way around the Sun. But if you go outside tonight, you can see two planets - live in the sky! Venus is very bright and often looks like a little crescent moon with binoculars, and Saturn is also pretty bright, and you can see the rings with binoculars.

Sonia Said:

in the milky way, what spiral arm does our solar system live in?

We Answered:

We are in the Orion spur off of the Sagittarius arm. Other arms are Perseus, Norma, Cygnus, and Scutum. I know...we aren't even in a proper arm, it's just a spur.