(June 3, 2014 at 1:28 pm)Chuck Wrote:(June 3, 2014 at 1:12 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Kepler 10 is a type G star like our sun, with 70% of the sun's metallicity. Given it's mass, age, and metallicity, it would be within the population II group (our sun is population I). Iron, et al, were obviously present in quantity when Kepler 10 formed (a star with Kepler 10's mass would not produce iron, it would have to be present at time of formation).
Good thing Kepler 10 is only 90% as massive as the sun. If it were as massive as the sun it would have become a white dwarf by now and the two planets in company would have been vaporized during the star's red giant stage a billion years ago.
These two planets are already older than the earth will ever be.
I wonder if this super earth is really the core of an partially disintegrated jovian gas giant, the outter gaseous envelop having been stripped away either by solar radiation or by some giant impact.
Very true - Kepler 10 is 6-7 billion years older than our sun and likely has billions of years to go.
Interesting bit of speculation - younger gas giants may have molten cores of heavy elements - it seems on the surface to be at least plausible.
