How big could a rocky planet get?

[willpittenger]

Could life develop on such a world?&nbsp; How many Gs are we talking about on the surface? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Will Pittenger<hr style="margin-top:0.5em;margin-bottom:0.5em" />Add this user box to your Wikipedia User Page to show your support for the SDC forums: <div style="margin-left:1em">{{User:Will Pittenger/User Boxes/Space.com Account}}</div> </div>

 

[aretis]

<p><font size="3">Hi Will,</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The name I'm using on here is Aretis. I asked a similair question several days ago titled "Yo Astronomer: I'm asking-- Hot Jupiters," that you might want to read. There are four of us kind of bouncing around your questions.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;I would think that the only limiting factor of how large a rocky, terrestrial planet could get would be&nbsp;the amount of available metals in a developing solar system's stellar nebula. Since the book on "Solar System Types" haven't really been written yet, it would be hard to give you a number on the amount of G's on a planet like this, but it would be crushing! Since no one really knows, then I guess the answer would be: "The sky is the limit," as long as the rocky material is available.</font></p><p><font size="3">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Read my question on this same "ask an astronomer" page just a few questions down from yours and see what you think.</font></p><p><font size="3">Aretis</font></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="4" color="#0000ff"><strong>Aretis</strong></font></p> </div>

 

[eburacum45]

<p>The planet with the largest rocky core yet known is HD 149026b. This planet has a rocky component which might be as much as 70 times the mass of the Earth; if so, it would have a gravity of around ten times Earth's. Because it has such high gravity it would also have a very thick atmosphere, and from space would resemble a gas giant; the surface would be covered by an atmosphere thousands of kilometers deep.</p><p>Image http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/HD149026Corecomparison.jpg</p><p>Article&nbsp;http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_149026_b Note that surface temperatures on this world would be above the boiling point of lead.</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p>---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>http://orionsarm.com  http://thestarlark.blogspot.com/</p> </div>

 

[derekmcd]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>The planet with the largest rocky core yet known is HD 149026b. This planet has a rocky component which might be as much as 70 times the mass of the Earth; if so, it would have a gravity of around ten times Earth's. Because it has such high gravity it would also have a very thick atmosphere, and from space would resemble a gas giant; the surface would be covered by an atmosphere thousands of kilometers deep.Image http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b4/HD149026Corecomparison.jpgArticlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HD_149026_b Note that surface temperatures on this world would be above the boiling point of lead.&nbsp; <br /> Posted by eburacum45</DIV></p><p>Interesting find...</p><p>Just goes to show ya that what we know about stellar system formations is in its infancy.&nbsp; I would think something odd is afoot here for a planet to accumulate that much metals.&nbsp; Maybe collisions with with other rocky planets early on?&nbsp; Something similar to what is theorized with the our moon's creation except on a grander scale.</p><p>No doubt this isn't the last suprise in store for us.&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div><br /><div><span style="color:#0000ff" class="Apple-style-span">"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</span></div> </div>

 

[3488]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'><font color="#ff0000">Interesting find...Just goes to show ya that what we know about stellar system formations is in its infancy.&nbsp; I would think something odd is afoot here for a planet to accumulate that much metals.&nbsp; Maybe collisions with with other rocky planets early on?&nbsp; Something similar to what is theorized with the our moon's creation except on a grander scale.No doubt this isn't the last suprise in store for us.&nbsp; <br />Posted by derekmcd</font></DIV></p><p><strong><font size="2">Hi Derek, I am sure that is very true.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">I remeber shortly after the planet found orbiting 51 Pegasi was found, that many suggested a giant rocky / metal Mercury&nbsp;type planet, some 45% of the mass of Jupiter or 143 Earth masses, with a diameter similar to Uranus or Neptune.</font></strong></p><p><strong><font size="2">However, that notion was thrown out, because of the problems regarding the abundance of heavy metals & silicates, in proportion to the metallicity of 51 Pegasi itself. Most likely it is a hot Jupiter or a hot Saturn (closer to the mass of Saturn than Jupiter)!!!!!!!!!!<br /><br />Andrew Brown.</font></strong></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>

 

[Remter]

<p>Could life develop on such a world?&nbsp; How many Gs are we talking about on the surface? <br />Posted by willpittenger.</p><p>Hello willpittenger,&nbsp;how are you today? &nbsp;Do you think that this may depend on the magnetic field generated by the planet? Given that the internal core of a planet effects the pull that the planet has on object on its surface and within its orbital reach. <br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Remter </div>

 

[Remter]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hi Will,&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The name I'm using on here is Aretis. I asked a similair question several days ago titled "Yo Astronomer: I'm asking-- Hot Jupiters," that you might want to read. There are four of us kind of bouncing around your questions.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;I would think that the only limiting factor of how large a rocky, terrestrial planet could get would be&nbsp;the amount of available metals in a developing solar system's stellar nebula. Since the book on "Solar System Types" haven't really been written yet, it would be hard to give you a number on the amount of G's on a planet like this, but it would be crushing! Since no one really knows, then I guess the answer would be: "The sky is the limit," as long as the rocky material is available.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Read my question on this same "ask an astronomer" page just a few questions down from yours and see what you think.Aretis <br />Posted by aretis</DIV><br /><br />Hello Artist,</p><p>I like your responce about the sky as the limit, I am not sure if you intended to hit this one so close to home. This is a piece of the picture "the sky or universe is the limit" and the force that is involves in the particles that move steller mass as this will determine whether it will come together a form a mass like a planet or just remain as dust capture by an object with some gravitation influence drawing the particle towards its own orbit. </p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Remter </div>

 

[Remter]

<p><BR/>Replying to:<BR/><DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Interesting find...Just goes to show ya that what we know about stellar system formations is in its infancy.&nbsp; I would think something odd is afoot here for a planet to accumulate that much metals.&nbsp; Maybe collisions with with other rocky planets early on?&nbsp; Something similar to what is theorized with the our moon's creation except on a grander scale.No doubt this isn't the last suprise in store for us.&nbsp; <br />Posted by derekmcd</DIV></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As you have already recognized this information is now dated. more massive object are currently being identified along with more galaxies and with even greater suprises holding sun's&nbsp;30 times that of our own and planets 100 times greater that our beloved uranius. Just when I thought that I had imagined it all. I am hoping for more<br /></p> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Remter </div>