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Exoplanet Has Showers of Pebbles

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the gonna-need-a-thicker-umbrella dept.

mmmscience writes "The newly-discovered exoplanet COROT-7b has an unusual form of precipitation: rocks. Because it orbits so close to its sun, the temperature on its sun-facing side is around 4220 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot enough for rocks to vaporize — not unlike water evaporating on Earth. And, like Earth, when the vapor cools in the upper atmosphere, it forms clouds and begins to rain. But instead of water, COROT-7b gets a shower of pebbles."

2 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Related to the current poll ? by Yvan256 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    What do you mean? African or european elephants?

  2. Re:Let's not exaggerate by EvilBudMan · · Score: 0, Redundant

    --Assuming it was square because I'm too lazy for math today, that's about 300,000 cubic meters.--

    Area of a circle = pi * diameter

    A = 3.14159 * 2000M
    A = 6283.18sqM

    Volume = Depth * Area

    V = 75M * 6283.18sqM
    V = 471238.5 Cubic Meters

    So you are off a little there. About 36% off I would guess, and there is that doomsday weapon buried somewhere.