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I want to write a story about rogue double planets and was wondering if it's possible to have a double planet where either both or one of the planets are habitable due to tidal forces even if the chances of this happening are very tiny.

An answer here seems to indicate that a system like this should be possible and that the tidal forces would be high. Another answer seems to also indicate that it is possible for double planets to exist.

There is also a Wikipedia page regarding the tidal heating of the moon Io orbiting Jupiter where it describes an ocean of molten rock under the surface due to this effect. The article also mentions that this may allow for an ocean under the surface of other moons like Europa which could support life.

So the main question is if rogue double planets, not attached to a solar system, be habitable with an subsurface ocean for example? It would also be interesting to elaborate on the possibility of a livable surface if tidal forces could generate enough heat.

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  • $\begingroup$ You will probably have better luck with this at the Worldbuilding Stack Exchange site: worldbuilding.stackexchange.com $\endgroup$
    – Buzz ♦
    Commented Oct 21, 2021 at 0:37
  • $\begingroup$ @buzz it is more a question of worldfinding than worldbuilding. $\endgroup$
    – David Jonsson
    Commented Nov 7, 2021 at 11:26

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The energy for tidal heating come from their rotation around their own axes until they become tidally locked. So it can be habitable only for a short while. Maybe you can provide the bounds for you planets characteristics in order to determine the habitable period.

The case of Io it is different since some moons of Jupiter are in Laplace resonance relative each other which means that energy for Io's heating will not come from its own orbital decrease but from nearby moons and maybe Jupiter itself. Io is tidally locked to Jupiter so it does not get any tidal energy from there. A binary system, whether planet-planet or planet-moon, can not have an Io type of heating.

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