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Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 1:47 pm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-27669572
The star this planet is orbiting is 11 billion years old. This is all interesting stuff.
Quote:There is a new class of planet out there that astronomers are calling the "mega-Earth".
It is an object with a hard surface like our own world but much, much bigger.
The necessity for the new designation follows the discovery of a planet which has a mass some 17 times that of Earth.
Known as Kepler-10c, it orbits a star about 560 light-years away.
You can fix ignorance, you can't fix stupid.
Tinkety Tonk and down with the Nazis.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 1:58 pm
Yeah, and latest results seem to suggest mega-earths are fairly common, where as terresterial planets similar in size to earth are rare.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm
(June 2, 2014 at 1:58 pm)Chuck Wrote: Yeah, and latest results seem to suggest mega-earths are fairly common, where as terresterial planets similar in size to earth are rare.
Is that a case of selection bias (whereby higher-mass planets are easier to spot using current detection methods)?
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:19 pm
(This post was last modified: June 2, 2014 at 2:19 pm by LastPoet.)
Imagine how many beers could you chug on the free time over there! Taking 10 hour work day ofc. Longer nights too!
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:25 pm
(June 2, 2014 at 2:19 pm)LastPoet Wrote: Imagine how many beers could you chug on the free time over there! Taking 10 hour work day ofc. Longer nights too!
Jumping would be a bitch though.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Quote:Standing would be a bitch though.
Fixed that for you.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:50 pm
(June 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Quote:Standing would be a bitch though.
Fixed that for you.
Fair enough. I have experience drinking beer when it's been impossible for me to stand so Last Poet's plan is still a go. Will give me an obvious advantage on my astronaut application.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 2:51 pm
(This post was last modified: June 2, 2014 at 2:58 pm by Anomalocaris.)
(June 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: (June 2, 2014 at 1:58 pm)Chuck Wrote: Yeah, and latest results seem to suggest mega-earths are fairly common, where as terresterial planets similar in size to earth are rare.
Is that a case of selection bias (whereby higher-mass planets are easier to spot using current detection methods)?
I believe the result doesn't come from counting the earth sized planets dicovered. So there is no selection biase on that count. Instead result comes from the observation that in majority of solar systems thus far discovered, it would be dynamically very difficult for any earth sized planet to survive for long period without either colliding with the parent star or be jetisoned out of the system.
(June 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Quote:Standing would be a bitch though.
Fixed that for you.
Actually, if the planet has 17 times earth mass, but 2.4 times earth radius, than its surface gravity would be about 2.8G.
It would certainly be possibly for a weight lifter to stand or do squats on that planet.
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 3:08 pm
(This post was last modified: June 2, 2014 at 3:08 pm by Jackalope.)
(June 2, 2014 at 2:51 pm)Chuck Wrote: (June 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Is that a case of selection bias (whereby higher-mass planets are easier to spot using current detection methods)?
I believe the result doesn't come from counting the earth sized planets dicovered. So there is no selection biase on that count. Instead result comes from the observation that in majority of solar systems thus far discovered, it would be dynamically very difficult for any earth sized planet to survive for long period without either colliding with the parent star or be jetisoned out of the system.
Thanks for the info - I used to follow exoplanet research and discoveries closely, back when they were still fairly novel. Back then as you know, the search methods (e.g. radial velocity) selected for high-mass planets.
(June 2, 2014 at 2:51 pm)Chuck Wrote: (June 2, 2014 at 2:44 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: Fixed that for you.
Actually, if the planet has 17 times earth mass, but 2.4 times earth radius, than its surface gravity would be about 2.8G.
It would certainly be possibly for a weight lifter to stand or do squats on that planet.
I doubt that applies to any of us involved in that subthread. 
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RE: Supersized rocky planets are out there.
June 2, 2014 at 6:19 pm
(June 2, 2014 at 2:02 pm)Cthulhu Dreaming Wrote: (June 2, 2014 at 1:58 pm)Chuck Wrote: Yeah, and latest results seem to suggest mega-earths are fairly common, where as terresterial planets similar in size to earth are rare.
Is that a case of selection bias (whereby higher-mass planets are easier to spot using current detection methods)?
The Kepler space telescope was designed to be able to spot earth sized exo-planets.
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