AAAS Meeting in Boston: Planet count to increase

[brellis]

(Edit: notable announcements from <font color="yellow">the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. The results appear in the Feb. 1 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters. </font><br /><br />BBC Article<br />Earthlike worlds are likely common in the Milky Way, and there may be hundreds of earth-sized planets in the Oort Cloud. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[halcyondays]

Earthlike worlds are not the same as Earth-sized worlds. Venus is not the Earth....

 

[brellis]

I know. The article describes several announcements at the AAAS in Boston. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[baulten]

Not to be nitpicky, but technically, if they're in the Oort Cloud, chances are they'd be classified as dwarf planets. You know, the whole "clearing out the neighborhood" thing...<br /><br />In any case, was an interesting read. Never heard that there might be earth sized worlds in the outer solar system.

 

[brellis]

They're saying it's quite possible they will find earth-sized planets in the Oort region. Perhaps yet another redefinition will be in order. I'm curious if they're thinking that the mass of the entire Oort region is in fact much greater than previously estimated.<br /><br />On the topic of rocky worlds around other stars in the Milky Way, here is an article from the JPL site. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[brellis]

In a related matter, The estimated mass of Saturn's Rings has increased threefold <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[robnissen]

<font color="yellow">there may be hundreds of earth-sized planets in the Oort Cloud.</font><br />That is a bit of an overstatement of what the article actually states: <br /><font color="yellow"> there may even be objects the same mass as Earth. <br />It could be that there are objects of Earth mass in the oort cloud.</font> <br /><br />Its a bit of a jump to go from "there MAY even be objects the same mass as Earth" to "there MAY BE HUNDREDS of earth-sized planets in the Oort Cloud."<br />

 

[brellis]

yeah, sorry <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[mithridates]

That would be great to find an Earth-sized planet in the Oort Cloud. I remember reading an article before about how rogue planets could possibly be warm due to 1) being large enough to hold a thick atmosphere and far enough away from stars for it to be thick and 2) being large enough to have tectonic activity, molten core and whatnot, which would mean that the oceans could be warm, the atmosphere would keep things at a stable temperature, and it would basically be an independent world of its own.<br /><br />I assume the same thing would be possible in the Oort Cloud if possible in between solar systems? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>----- </p><p>http://mithridates.blogspot.com</p> </div>

 

[brellis]

A planetary convection oven. Great for interstellar travel. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#ff0000"><em><strong>I'm a recovering optimist - things could be better.</strong></em></font> </p> </div>

 

[yevaud]

I know someone working that convention as we speak. He's already provided me with some nifty gifts, such as an AAAS tote bag, keychain, etc. But I really want one of the Pangea "morphing" coffee cups. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Differential Diagnosis:  </em>"<strong><em>I am both amused and annoyed that you think I should be less stubborn than you are</em></strong>."<br /> </p> </div>

 

[5stone10]

" 20% and 60% of Sun-like stars have evidence for the formation of rocky planets not unlike the processes we think led to planet Earth"<br /><br />--- /> Time to update my Drake equation ! <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[5stone10]

Wow !<br /><br />That increased my N from 1 to 7 !!

 

[h2ouniverse]

Hi mithridates,<br /><br />The "Pontic planets" you are refering to, if formed beyond the frost line of a star or as a free planet, should include more mass of volatiles (hydrogen compounds, namely water and to a lesser extent ammonia and methane *) than mass of rock&metals. There is a size domain where their internal energy can be such indeed that the water-ammonia layer remains liquid. It would be hundreds or thousands of kms thick though, so imho they should not bear continents.<br />Uranus is believed to have only half an earth mass of rocky/metallic core. And a supercritical ocean on the top making the bulk of its mass.<br />A smaller, hence colder Uranus should logically have an even smaller rocky kernel plus a super-deep ocean plus a super-thick atmosphere.<br /><br />But that would be great still, as that would mean open air oceans.<br /><br />best regards.<br /><br />(*) plus H2S and H2SO4, that are less friendly to life-as-we-know-it though.