Strange new worlds. Dear Cheap Astronomy – How big can rocky planets and how small can gas giants get? Well there is some data, so we don't have to talk in hypotheticals. There's a rocky planet with about 40 times Earth mass and about 3 and a half times Earth's diameter, which is about 85% of Neptune's diameter. So, it's a mighty big rocky planet that's approaching gas giant scale. Dear Cheap Astronomy – Will we grow crops in Martian regolith? So, firstly you can't really grow any plants from Earth on Mars since Earth plants need oxygen. While photosynthesis can make oxygen, plants don't have vascular system that can move the oxygen around. So if there isn't enough oxygen in the atmosphere to start with, then the roots die and the plant dies. We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs. Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too! Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations. Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].

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“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.

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