Scientists Discover Largest-Known Planet

[dragon04]

<font color="yellow">PHOENIX - Scientists have discovered the universe's largest known planet, a giant ball made of mostly hydrogen that is 20 times larger than Earth and circling a star 1,400 light-years away.<br /><br />Scientists believe the planet is 1.7 times the diameter of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, and has a temperature of 2,300-degrees.</font><br /><br />Read the rest here<br /><br />The article goes on to say that the planet has half the density of Saturn. It's a "fluffy" planet! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[Boris_Badenov]

I heard this on NPR this morning. StarDate said it has the apparent density of cork. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>

 

[rpmath]

How do they know the planet size?<br />may be by its transits?<br /><br />what if the planet just has a ring system we are seeing from near the top or bottom?<br />it can block the star light like a much bigger planet...<br />

 

[dragon04]

The article doesn't state the method(s) by which the planet was detected.<br /><br />But since another planet was discovered in the same system last year, I'd guess they discovered it via the transit method. The article uses the word "spotted".<br /><br />As far as a ring system would go, I can't say. I'd imagine that the diameter of the planet would also be based on its mass. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>"2012.. Year of the Dragon!! Get on the Dragon Wagon!".</em> </div>

 

[3488]

I doubt there is much substance to this planet at all. <br /><br />Only 20% as dense as water????<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <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>

 

[rpmath]

Most of Jupiter is hydrogen...<br />there is nothing lighter to build a bigger planet with lower mass.<br />(may be the heat can made it a little bigger but not double its size)<br /><br />A ring system can block light from the star and make the planet look bigger when it does transit.<br /><br />Our telescopes can not see any difference among the following planets in the attached image. They will block almost the same amount of light.<br />

 

[3488]

A ring system around a planet that close to its sun??<br /><br />I doubt it very, very much. The immense strength of the solar wind from its parent star would strip <br />any rings away. Forget ice particles & ice boulders, not<br />to mention the radiation <br />coming off its Sun.<br /><br />Not to mention the Hill sphere of this planet will be very small too, so I would also <br />doubt it has any moons either, unless they are very close in.<br /><br />So I think we can discount rings.<br /><br />If the planet was much further away from its Sun, then yes, why not,<br />but this one, very doubtful.<br /><br />I think we can exclude rings & moons from all of the Hot Jupiters, Hot Saturns & Hot Neptunes.<br /><br />Small Hill spheres (no moons & no rings), due to the proximity to their parent stars & <br />the fierce solar winds & temperatures (no rings).<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <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>

 

[MeteorWayne]

It seems that it skipped the Rocky core that Jupiter and Saturn have. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080"><em><font color="#000000">But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id.</font></em> </font></p><p><font color="#000080">I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function</font><font color="#000080"> </font></p> </div>

 

[jaxtraw]

Not so long ago, the possibility of gas giants orbiting very close to their parent stars would have been also considered quite preposterous-- and then we found them. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />I think we should be cautious about declaring impossibilities in star systems so distant and about which we know so little. A review of solar system study in the past is sobering. So many fundamental predictions regarding even our closest neighbours were shown to be entirely wrong once we got a close look with space probes; we were entirely surpised by Mars (oxygen, nitrogen, CO2 atmosphere, primitive vegetation anyone?), entirely surprised by Venus (carboniferous forests, anyone?). We've only tkaen a close look at a tiny proportion of our own solar system. We've looked nowhere else, except by squinting through telescopes from far, far away, and yet we are still ready to declare certainties.<br /><br />Personally I'm expecting some surprises from Ceres, Vesta and especially the Pluto system (how heartbreakingly brief our visit will be!). Let's keep an open mind to some extent about other star systems. We're far from decided about the origin of Saturn's rings- ring systems in other stellar systems are a wide open question I think.

 

[kmarinas86]

I can imagine that an earth-sized planet in a large elliptical orbit could pass through this thing with erosion stripes <img src="/images/icons/cool.gif" />.

 

[3488]

Hi kmarinas86,<br /><br />Very interesting concept.<br /><br />I think that this could be one whacky system!!! <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /><br /><br />Andrew Brown. <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>

 

[3488]

Hi jaxtraw.<br /><br />Very true indeed.<br /><br />As you correctly say, the surprises or own solar sytem has lobbed our way over the years,<br />I think that we cannot be certain.<br /><br />I was using logic.<br /><br />This planet IMO cannot have formed in its present orbit.<br /><br />It likely spiralled inwards due tho friction with the protoplanetary disk<br />perhaps indeed surrounded by rings & moons back then.<br /><br />The planet's Hill sphere would shrink, due to the closing in on its parent sun, <br />losing outer moons first, then progressively closer in moons. Also the increase in the strength<br />of its parent solar energy, destroyed the rings.<br /><br />Perhaps moons very close in, ended up being destroyed as the planet's atmosphere ballooned outwards.<br /><br />So I do suspect this planet is ringless & moonless.<br /><br />However, one never knows.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <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>