Hi Guys

Ever wondered about the current crop of exoplanets with their weird orbits? Could their moons support life even with their large orbital eccentricities?

Here's an article that suggests such aren't so unpleasant...

http://www.discover.com/nov_02/featcircles.html

...global climate modelling of planets with eccentricities of 0.3 & 0.4 show weather that is relatively benign. Challenging but not impossible.

If the average orbit is 1.0 AU then...

e = 0.3 ranges 0.7 - 1.3 AU
e = 0.4 ranges 0.6 - 1.4 AU

Even an eccentricity of 0.7 isn't too nasty - for a planet slightly further out from its Sun. Say it's at 1.2 AU...

e = 0.7 ranges 0.36 AU - 2.04 AU

...the Artic regions stay nice, but even the mid-latitudes have periods of cool that might allow for reproduction after a suitable season of estivation. The in-land bakes at 200 degrees F in summer but the hot season is very brief as the planet whips around the low point of its orbit.

Imagine the autumn storms, snow etc... as the oceans cool off and dump moisture all over. Seasonal lakes, even glaciers, will form. A wild, shifting world, but one I can see life adapting too.

Great SF world-building potential!

Adam