'Super' Earth found

Article - 'Super' Earth found (27 Aug.,'04)
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...55E663,00.html

The article says that the planet is ~14 Earth masses, terrestrial, and
orbits a sun-like star in less than 10 days. It also says there is
debate about whether or not it's in the 'Goldilocks zone' (Goldilocks
must be a tough kid :^)

Jason H.

Jason H. wrote:
Article - 'Super' Earth found (27 Aug.,'04)
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...55E663,00.html

The article says that the planet is ~14 Earth masses, terrestrial, and
orbits a sun-like star in less than 10 days. It also says there is
debate about whether or not it's in the 'Goldilocks zone' (Goldilocks
must be a tough kid :^)

A longer version of this story suggests gas giants are this type but
even larger that can collect enough gas to get a Jovian atmosphere and
become a Jupiter type planet. The magic size is called the "tipping
point" mass. Which would make Jupiter an oversized Venus no tipping
point involved. Or does the height of the atmosphere, not the density,
represent the mass of the core? density simply being a consequence of
its height.

Is there a consistent theory of planetary formation? Or are there
just mutulally exclusive WAGs?

--
Religions differ in major thinks like eating pork and
are the same in minor things like making war.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 3222

"Jason H." wrote in message
link.net...
Article - 'Super' Earth found (27 Aug.,'04)

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/com...55E663,00.html

The article says that the planet is ~14 Earth masses, terrestrial, and
orbits a sun-like star in less than 10 days. It also says there is
debate about whether or not it's in the 'Goldilocks zone' (Goldilocks
must be a tough kid :^)

I can't believe they are calling this thing "Earth like".

Lets see, what does Earth and this thing have in common...

They each orbit a sun-like star.

and..., er, that's about it!

Oh, it might be a rocky type planet... a very melted rocky type planet.

In message
, "uray"
wrote:

I can't believe they are calling this thing "Earth like".

Lets see, what does Earth and this thing have in common...

They each orbit a sun-like star.

and..., er, that's about it!

Oh, it might be a rocky type planet... a very melted rocky type planet.

Yeah, but that last bit is a big deal. It's the first potentially
"terrestrial" (meaning rocky, as opposed to gas giant) planet found
around another star.

The detection threshold is getting lower all the time. Before this it
was about the mass of Saturn (95 Earths), now it's 14 Earths. That's
a big deal.

--
R.G. "Stumpy" Marsh Timaru, New Zealand
http://marsh.orcon.net.nz/ S@H 500WU ret.