Are Small Rocky Worlds Naked Gas Giants?

Posted by Soulskill on Saturday September 17, 2011 @10:48AM from the elliptical-streaking dept.

astroengine writes "The 'core accretion' model for planetary creation has been challenged (or, at least, modified) by a new theory from University of Leicester astrophysicists Seung-Hoon Cha and Sergei Nayakshin (abstract). Rather than small rocky worlds being built 'bottom-up' (i.e. the size of a planet depends on the amount of material available), perhaps they were once the cores of massive gas giant planets that had their thick atmospheres stripped after drifting too close to their parent stars? This 'top-down' mechanism may also help explain how smaller worlds were formed far from their stars only to drift inward toward the habitable zone."

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Well then... by reeno49 · 2011-09-17 11:03 · Score: 2, Funny

I imagine this excludes Earth, but if not it would explain a lot of the smells.

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I should have been a girl, with the way I can dance... my moves are amazing!
1. Re:Well then... by Penguinshit · 2011-09-17 13:02 · Score: 3, Funny
  
  I once sat next to a gas giant on an airplane. Thank God it was just a short commuter flight.
  
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  I have something in common with Stephen Hawking...
Re:Wait a tic... by Anonymous Coward · 2011-09-17 13:12 · Score: 3, Funny

That's what you get for not publishing your idea in a peer-reviewed science journal! Stupid 3rd graders.
I once met a naked gas giant! by Dr.+Spork · 2011-09-17 14:20 · Score: 1, Funny

Ah wait, it was just your mom.