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10 Dec 21
1 edit
@metal-brain saidNo, it's not in our SS, but can you
I thought they might have found planet X at first. Not in our solar system. You had my hopes up for a second.
imagine the size of this orb??
Isn't Earth to Jupiter as a
marble is to a basketball?
10 Dec 21
@jimm619 saidBasically yes but Jupiter is a gas planet.
No, it's not in our SS, but can you
imagine the size of this orb??
Isn't Earth to Jupiter as a
marble is to a basketball?
10 Dec 21
@jimm619 saidSize?
No, it's not in our SS, but can you
imagine the size of this orb??
Isn't Earth to Jupiter as a
marble is to a basketball?
The universe is full of big things. Galaxies have super massive black holes at the center. So somebody found a big planet that could not possibly support life. Big deal.
Has anybody found planet X yet? Call it dark matter.
12 Dec 21
@bunnyknight saidThat is a good point. Isn't that big enough to be a star?
@jimm619
If it was 10x bigger than Earth and solid, I would be super impressed. It's surface gravity would also be impressive.
If it was 10x bigger than Jupiter and solid, I think it would instantly go into fusion and become a beautiful shiny star.
Fusion comes from gas though. Maybe it is mostly solid and that is why it isn't a star. Not enough hydrogen.
Isn't it a binary star system? How big are the 2 stars relative to each other?
12 Dec 21
@bunnyknight saidNaive question: Is there a physical size limit for solid objects?
@jimm619
If it was 10x bigger than Earth and solid, I would be super impressed. It's surface gravity would also be impressive.
If it was 10x bigger than Jupiter and solid, I think it would instantly go into fusion and become a beautiful shiny star.
12 Dec 21
@metal-brain saidI read many years ago,that Jupiter was almost big enough to achieve critical mass at which point fusion would begin and it would have become a star.
That is a good point. Isn't that big enough to be a star?
Fusion comes from gas though. Maybe it is mostly solid and that is why it isn't a star. Not enough hydrogen.
Isn't it a binary star system? How big are the 2 stars relative to each other?
Can't remember the numbers ,though I do believe Jupiter is mostly gas which is why it's gravity,though greater than the Earth is not proportional to it's size.
12 Dec 21
@venda saidI think the amount of heavier elements at the core and how big the core is makes a difference. If there is a bigger core of iron and other heavier elements the hydrogen is too far away from the core to fuse into helium.
I read many years ago,that Jupiter was almost big enough to achieve critical mass at which point fusion would begin and it would have become a star.
Can't remember the numbers ,though I do believe Jupiter is mostly gas which is why it's gravity,though greater than the Earth is not proportional to it's size.
@wildgrass saidAbsolutely. Eventually either pressure or gravity will cause something catastrophic to happen. I think the core would undergo fusion long before it collapses into neutron matter.
Naive question: Is there a physical size limit for solid objects?
Scientists still don't know exactly how big a rocky planet can get. So far the biggest rocky planet they found is about 40 Earth masses.
13 Dec 21
@venda saidApparently what happens is that planets more massive than Earth attract more gas, and at a certain point the gravity starts pulling and retaining all gas until it's atmosphere is so thick and heavy that it starts to look like Jupiter. If it continues to grow, the solid core eventually ignites via fusion.
I read many years ago,that Jupiter was almost big enough to achieve critical mass at which point fusion would begin and it would have become a star.
Can't remember the numbers ,though I do believe Jupiter is mostly gas which is why it's gravity,though greater than the Earth is not proportional to it's size.
@bunnyknight said"If it continues to grow, the solid core eventually ignites via fusion."
Apparently what happens is that planets more massive than Earth attract more gas, and at a certain point the gravity starts pulling and retaining all gas until it's atmosphere is so thick and heavy that it starts to look like Jupiter. If it continues to grow, the solid core eventually ignites via fusion.
What is your source of information?
Stop calling it solid. You don't call the earth's core solid, do you? Liquid iron is not solid.