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![the-star-stuff:
New Ultradense Planet Found; Astronomers Baffled
CoRoT-20b is so compact it defies planet-formation theory, study says.
A newly discovered planet 4,000 light-years away is just too dense.
Dubbed CoRoT-20b, the planet is thought to be a gas giant about four-fifths the size of Jupiter and orbits close to a sunlike star.
Despite the new planet’s relatively diminutive size, this world has four times Jupiter’s mass, making CoRoT-20b one of the densest known planets, a new study says. (Related: “‘Backward’ Planet Has Density of Foam Coffee Cups.”)
That poses a problem for astronomers: If CoRoT-20b is structured like a traditional gas giant, with a solid core surrounded by a gassy atmosphere, the planet’s core would have to make up 50 to 77 percent of the world’s total mass.
By contrast, Jupiter’s core is thought to represent just 15 percent of that planet’s mass. [continue reading…]](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzui7sh3Qr1qe649zo1_500.jpg "the-star-stuff:
New Ultradense Planet Found; Astronomers Baffled
CoRoT-20b is so compact it defies planet-formation theory, study says.
A newly discovered planet 4,000 light-years away is just too dense.
Dubbed CoRoT-20b, the planet is thought to be a gas giant about four-fifths the size of Jupiter and orbits close to a sunlike star.
Despite the new planet’s relatively diminutive size, this world has four times Jupiter’s mass, making CoRoT-20b one of the densest known planets, a new study says. (Related: “‘Backward’ Planet Has Density of Foam Coffee Cups.”)
That poses a problem for astronomers: If CoRoT-20b is structured like a traditional gas giant, with a solid core surrounded by a gassy atmosphere, the planet’s core would have to make up 50 to 77 percent of the world’s total mass.
By contrast, Jupiter’s core is thought to represent just 15 percent of that planet’s mass. [continue reading…]")
New Ultradense Planet Found; Astronomers Baffled
CoRoT-20b is so compact it defies planet-formation theory, study says.
A newly discovered planet 4,000 light-years away is just too dense.
Dubbed CoRoT-20b, the planet is thought to be a gas giant about four-fifths the size of Jupiter and orbits close to a sunlike star.
Despite the new planet’s relatively diminutive size, this world has four times Jupiter’s mass, making CoRoT-20b one of the densest known planets, a new study says. (Related: “‘Backward’ Planet Has Density of Foam Coffee Cups.”)
That poses a problem for astronomers: If CoRoT-20b is structured like a traditional gas giant, with a solid core surrounded by a gassy atmosphere, the planet’s core would have to make up 50 to 77 percent of the world’s total mass.
By contrast, Jupiter’s core is thought to represent just 15 percent of that planet’s mass. [continue reading…]
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