* Astronomy

Members Login
Username 
 
Password 
    Remember Me  
Post Info TOPIC: Coreless terrestrial planets


L

Posts: 131433
Date:
Coreless terrestrial planets
Permalink  
 


Some planets beyond our solar system might be rocky like Earth, but lack its gooey metallic middle, a new study suggests. Such 'coreless' terrestrial planets would not have magnetic fields, which would make them inhospitable to life as we know it.
Rocky planets were once thought to consist of three main layers: a thin solid crust, a viscous, rocky mantle and a solid or molten iron core.
This layering, or differentiation, is thought to have occurred early in the solar system's history, when collisions between rocky bodies and the decay of radioactive isotopes melted the interiors of large objects, allowing dense material to settle towards their centres.

Read more

__________________
Page 1 of 1  sorted by
Quick Reply

Please log in to post quick replies.



Create your own FREE Forum
Report Abuse
Powered by ActiveBoard