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Planet Discovered with a Massive Core

Posted by Zonk on from the who-doesn't-love-a-good-massive-core? dept.

helioquake writes "A collaboration of astronomers discovers possible a 'Rossetta Stone' of planetary formation study, reported by San Francisco State Univerity and Subaru Observatory. This new planet, orbiting around G-star like our Sun (HD 149026), weighs roughly equal to that of Saturn, while its size is significantly smaller in diameter. Planetary modeling suggests that the core of the planet alone must have 70 times more mass than Earth, indicating the possible existence of a metallic solid core inside the planet. Just like the rocky planet discovered earlier, the finding of this dense-core planet may lead to better understading of the formation of rockey planets in the Universe."

4 of 265 comments (clear)

  1. Time for IPX by vandon · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'd say it's time for IPX to head out and start mining that core. There's probably quite a bit of rare minerals in it.

  2. Fatal Attraction by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 5, Funny

    Call me when they discover a giant planet, with a metallic core outside the planet. That's the armored base from which they keep sending us aliens like Ann Coulter and Tom Cruise. Then we just drop magnet-tipped nukes into space, and finally it's safe to watch TV again.

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    make install -not war

  3. Rockey'n'Roll by TheStonepedo · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heavy Metal planets are so Hard Core.

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    I'll be your candy shop of infinite deliciousity if you'll be my discotheque of endless rump-shaking.
  4. In other news... by revery · · Score: 4, Funny

    AMD vows to release planet with dual massive cores by end of '05. Intel responds by renegotiating contracts with its distributors.