- #1
Ian J.
- 17
- 0
Or, just how big can a gas giant get?
I read this article recently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24348024
In it, Kepler 7b's clouds are 'directly' mapped for the first time. The planet itself is said to have an overall mass roughly that of polystyrene. Bearing in mind that for a long time Jupiter has been posited as roughly how voluminous a planet can get before it gains mass rather than volume if it gets any more massive, is this world proving to be the exception to that 'rule', and what does it say about just how much more voluminous a world could potentially get? Will we discover much larger, more voluminous worlds than Kepler 7b?
I read this article recently:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-24348024
In it, Kepler 7b's clouds are 'directly' mapped for the first time. The planet itself is said to have an overall mass roughly that of polystyrene. Bearing in mind that for a long time Jupiter has been posited as roughly how voluminous a planet can get before it gains mass rather than volume if it gets any more massive, is this world proving to be the exception to that 'rule', and what does it say about just how much more voluminous a world could potentially get? Will we discover much larger, more voluminous worlds than Kepler 7b?