Tropical Planet Possible?

[Biggles Worth]

Given the right conditions, is it possible to have an entire planet be tropical/or nice and warm all year round?

[starlord]

it has been very warm before, depends on the composition of the atmosphere.

"tropical" refers to latitudes though, fyi.

[Deleted]

Are you asking about exoplanets? If so, considering the theorised number, anything could be possible.

[Deleted]

Yes. The universe is big enough that pretty much everything that can and will happen is probably happening somewhere right now. If time is also never ending, it's also a 100% certainty that anything that can happen within the laws of physics will occur an infinite amount of times.

[Archangel Tyrael]

Yes. The universe is big enough that pretty much everything that can and will happen is probably happening somewhere right now. If time is also never ending, it's also a 100% certainty that anything that can happen within the laws of physics will occur an infinite amount of times.

So there has to be an entire artic planet as well?

[Fuzzzie]

It would depend on several things.

1. Distance from the sun
2. Tilt of the planet
3. Orbital distance over the course of a year
4. Composition of the atmosphere.

Probably other factors as well but if they all matched up to the best possible scenario then I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

[Deleted]

So there has to be an entire artic planet as well?

Pluto is entirely arctic, as are Titan, Triton, Io, etc. (even thoug they are moons and Pluto ain't considered a planet).

As for entirely tropical - it is highly unlikely, because its star's heat wouldn't disperse equally at all latitudes.
Entire planets can only be either frozen (like Pluto and the like) or overheated (like Venus, due to peculiar atmosphere). Any planets with milder climate than "frozen" or "overheated" would have different climates on different latitudes.

[Deleted]

Pluto is entirely arctic, as are Titan, Triton, Io, etc. (even thoug they are moons and Pluto ain't considered a planet).

As for entirely tropical - it is highly unlikely, because its star's heat wouldn't disperse equally at all latitudes.
Entire planets can only be either frozen (like Pluto and the like) or overheated (like Venus, due to peculiar atmosphere). Any planets with milder climate than "frozen" or "overheated" would have different climates on different latitudes.

What if a planet wobbled and/or rotated fast enough for heat to be distributed more or less evenly?

[Deleted]

What if a planet wobbled and/or rotated fast enough for heat to be distributed more or less evenly?

perhaps it would overheat from too swift rotation (not from friction, but from gravity effect. my english ain't good enough to explain)

[Beavis]

Given the right conditions, is it possible to have an entire planet be tropical/or nice and warm all year round?

It seems pretty unlikely. The polar regions of a planet are always going to be colder than the equatorial regions. For a planet to have polar regions that we would find comfortably warm, it needs to either be close to its star or have a heat trapping atmosphere. Either of these would likely mean that the equatorial regions would be blazingly hot.

[rkma]

If the atmosphere is very thick, then it can retain an even temperature around the globe.

[Deleted]

So there has to be an entire artic planet as well?

There's pretty much one in our solar system, so yep.

[slime]

Yes that is a difficult one. I am someone who believes anything is possible, but for this to be true (both sides of a planet being tropical, same temp at the same time) seems difficult situation. Maybe an orbit between two suns? Because the side of the planet not facing the sun would always be cooler. Based on distance you could have a tropical world where the side facing the sun was extremely hot say 140 degrees and the side away from the sun is say 90-100 degrees. But, the same temp all around the planet at all times seems unlikely (not impossible). Cold planets are much easier to conceive because of their sheer distance from their sun, but even in those i expect at least a few degrees difference in temperature for the side of the planet facing the sun and the one that is away from the sun.

[Kasierith]

Hmmmm... I could see it happening if the planet's composition was a better conductor, allowing it to retain heat longer at the poles / going around, but with enough cloud cover to keep the heat from setting the equator on fire.... maybe a planet with deep tunnels of water going underground distributing the heat through the core? Having it all the same temperature is ridiculous given out current concept of physics, but it could be similar

[Deleted]

Well, as long as the temperatures are more 'Goddamn, this is good' and less 'goddamn, my underpants keep sticking to my butt cheeks'.

[Nengal]

For this to be possible, a planet would have to have two rotations in order to distribute heat to the poles. I don't see how a planet could be "tropical" all over unless these two rotations were absolutely precise in that no one section of the planet received more energy from a star than another. Possible, but very, very, very unlikely.

[Shadee]

Nope, not at all possible.

[GUN3R]

Pluto is entirely arctic, as are Titan, Triton, Io, etc. (even thoug they are moons and Pluto ain't considered a planet).

As for entirely tropical - it is highly unlikely, because its star's heat wouldn't disperse equally at all latitudes.
Entire planets can only be either frozen (like Pluto and the like) or overheated (like Venus, due to peculiar atmosphere). Any planets with milder climate than "frozen" or "overheated" would have different climates on different latitudes.

and it likely there is a all warm climate planet don't forget that some planets don't just have multiple moons but could also have multiple suns
and like StarbuyPWNDyou said The universe is big enough that pretty much everything that can and will happen is probably happening somewhere right now. If time is also never ending, it's also a 100% certainty that anything that can happen within the laws of physics will occur an infinite amount of times.
and seeing as 99.9999999999 infinite % of the universe is not explored you can not say there isn't, it is more likely there is then there is not

[Catta]

Pluto is entirely arctic, as are Titan, Triton, Io, etc. (even thoug they are moons and Pluto ain't considered a planet).

As for entirely tropical - it is highly unlikely, because its star's heat wouldn't disperse equally at all latitudes.
Entire planets can only be either frozen (like Pluto and the like) or overheated (like Venus, due to peculiar atmosphere). Any planets with milder climate than "frozen" or "overheated" would have different climates on different latitudes.

This - one would think for the poles to be tropical the equator would be arid - this less so if it was a small planet but then it might have trouble keeping an atmosphere...

[Deleted]

Yes OP, the poles would still be a bit chilly and devoid of plants(because of darkness, unless the planet has a strange rotation) but besides that yes.

So there has to be an entire artic planet as well?

Europa, the moon of Jupiter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europa_%28moon%29