Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
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Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
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Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#2AFAIK Nitrogen in the initial atmosphere rules this out.
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#3"It is not apparent yet that such Rogue planets are regularly traded between star-systems and subsequently participate in serial evaporative events and the proposal may seem like a long shot, but on astronomical time scales the unlikely can become commonplace."
It sounds a bit Velikofskian.
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#4"The Chthonian process effectively selects for retainment of water and carbon dioxide, which are heavy and tend to rain back down upon condensing in the upper atmosphere."
So earthlike planets would be more plentiful than otherwise. This could be a boon to scifi plots that entail conveniently breathable atmospheres. It would also tend to support the strong anthropic principle.
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#5AFAIK Nitrogen in the initial atmosphere rules this out.
Is there a succinct explanation of why some terrestial bodies in the solar system (Earth, Titan, Triton, Pluto) have mostly nitrogen atmospheres, but others (Mars, Venus) are mostly carbon dioxide instead?
I mean, aside from specifics about each, what's the pattern that you would apply to an arbitrary planet?
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#6"The Chthonian process effectively selects for retainment of water and carbon dioxide, which are heavy and tend to rain back down upon condensing in the upper atmosphere." So earthlike planets would be more plentiful than otherwise. This could be a boon to scifi plots that entail conveniently breathable atmospheres. It would also tend to support the strong anthropic principle.
> It would also tend to support the strong anthropic principle.
How does it support that?
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#7Embedded link is very intersting
https://wfirst.gsfc.nasa.gov/exoplanets_microlensing.html
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#8AFAIK Nitrogen in the initial atmosphere rules this out.
Is there a succinct explanation of why some terrestial bodies in the solar system (Earth, Titan, Triton, Pluto) have mostly nitrogen atmospheres, but others (Mars, Venus) are mostly carbon dioxide instead? I mean, aside from specifics about each, what's the pattern that you would apply to an arbitrary planet?
I think it is due the magnetosphere shielding from solar wind. Earth has a strong magnetosphere, while neither mars or venus do. For titan, wikipedia says "Titan spends 95% of its time within Saturn's magnetosphere, which may help shield it from the solar wind.", not sure about Triton and Pluto but they are much further from the sun so that probably helps solar wind not strip away as much nitrogen.
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#9AFAIK Nitrogen in the initial atmosphere rules this out.
Is there a succinct explanation of why some terrestial bodies in the solar system (Earth, Titan, Triton, Pluto) have mostly nitrogen atmospheres, but others (Mars, Venus) are mostly carbon dioxide instead? I mean, aside from specifics about each, what's the pattern that you would apply to an arbitrary planet?
A relative lack of effect from the solar wind, either through magnetic shielding (Earth, Titan) or sheer distance from the Sun (Triton, Pluto).
Mars and Venus are both in the inner Solar System, and both have very weak magnetic fields.
Re: Could the Earth be an evaporated gas giant planet?
#10"The Chthonian process effectively selects for retainment of water and carbon dioxide, which are heavy and tend to rain back down upon condensing in the upper atmosphere." So earthlike planets would be more plentiful than otherwise. This could be a boon to scifi plots that entail conveniently breathable atmospheres. It would also tend to support the strong anthropic principle.
> It would also tend to support the strong anthropic principle. How does it support that?
The principle is: the universe has been fine-tuned in order to ensure that life arises.
1. The only forms of life that we know about are on a planet with plentiful water and carbon dioxide.
2. Planetary dynamics may favor the production of such planets by the evaporation of gas giants.
Ergo, the rules of planetary dynamics appear to favor habitats for life as we know it.
This appearance may be just an artifact of our limited survey of life in the universe, but it's all we have.