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How Many Loose Planets in the Milky Way?
Sky & Telescope ^
| February 29, 2012
| Monica Young
Posted on 03/10/2012 11:28:34 AM PST by SunkenCiv
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The Milky Way likely hosts billions, and possibly trillions, of unbound planets, some of which may have atmospheres thick enough to support bacterial life. Loose planets may even outnumber stars in the galaxy, but a more precise count awaits future telescopes such as WFIRST and LSST. [Caltech / NASA]
1
posted on
03/10/2012 11:28:41 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
To: SunkenCiv
2
posted on
03/10/2012 11:32:19 AM PST
by
njslim
(St)
To: brytlea; cripplecreek; decimon; bigheadfred; KoRn; Grammy; married21; steelyourfaith; Mmogamer; ...
3
posted on
03/10/2012 11:32:40 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
"...all 818 monthly issues, covering 70 years of astronomy from November 1941 through December 2009..."
4
posted on
03/10/2012 11:32:41 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
...for that matter, I picked up a used copy of the April issue, it's great, now I'm considering subscribing.
12 issues for $42.95, digital 12 issues for $10.00
5
posted on
03/10/2012 11:33:14 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: SunkenCiv
How likely is a loose planet to have any atmosphere?
It’s pretty cold in interstellar space...
6
posted on
03/10/2012 11:33:48 AM PST
by
null and void
(Day 1145 of America's ObamaVacation from reality [Heroes aren't made, Frank, they're cornered...])
To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; Mmogamer; ...
7
posted on
03/10/2012 11:33:58 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: 75thOVI; agrace; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; Avoiding_Sulla; ...
There's actually a posting, or a topic, about "rogue planets", somewhere around here.
8
posted on
03/10/2012 11:33:58 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: SunkenCiv
To us accretionist’s the concept of a loose planet is heresy.
All planets are accreted.
The concept of a Fluke (loose) planet is however interesting
9
posted on
03/10/2012 11:35:51 AM PST
by
bert
(K.E. N.P. +12 ..... Crucifixion is coming)
To: null and void
As likely as it is anywhere, but I take your point, if it’s cold enough, the atmosphere would condense and freeze, as on Pluto — depending on what the atmosphere is made of in the first place, and how much of it is there.
10
posted on
03/10/2012 11:36:21 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: SunkenCiv
If you continue to post great articles, my cost is 0
thanks
11
posted on
03/10/2012 11:37:18 AM PST
by
bert
(K.E. N.P. +12 ..... Crucifixion is coming)
To: SunkenCiv
if its cold enough, the atmosphere would condense and freeze, as on PlutoWhat if it was a gas giant like Jupiter? What do you think the shrinkage would be?
12
posted on
03/10/2012 11:38:13 AM PST
by
dragonblustar
(Allah Ain't So Akbar!)
To: SunkenCiv
Has the vast expanse between Pelosi’s ears been explored?
13
posted on
03/10/2012 11:38:32 AM PST
by
jessduntno
("Newt Gingrich was part of the Reagan Revolution's Murderers' Row." - Jeffrey Lord, Reagan Admin.)
To: SunkenCiv
I wonder if the mass relative to “loose” planets - whose travels do not seem to be (yet) among the calculated mass of the star systems, or the calculted gravitational forces affecting star systems’ travels in their own galaxies - could actually be part of the hypothetical “dark matter” needed to explain current accepted theories of the universe.
14
posted on
03/10/2012 11:42:19 AM PST
by
Wuli
To: null and void
15
posted on
03/10/2012 11:42:40 AM PST
by
BenLurkin
(This is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion or satire; or both)
To: bert
The concept of a Fluke (loose) planet is however interestingBased on her background, I would say it was more like a planet of the loose women!
To: njslim
"the 1933 novel by Edwin Balmer (1883-1959) and Philip Wylie (1902-1971), 'When Worlds Collide' was adapted to film in 1951" -- I've read the book and the sequel (both were howlingly bad) and got the movie out of the library once (also howlingly bad). :')
Thanks njslim.
17
posted on
03/10/2012 11:47:30 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: BenLurkin
Well you have to remember that Jupiter and Saturn create their own heat. Most large gas giants probably would.
A rocky planet like Mars or Earth the atmosphere would probably be frozen with nothing except maybe ethane or methane
left.
18
posted on
03/10/2012 11:47:46 AM PST
by
Mmogamer
(I refudiate the lamestream media, leftists and their prevaricutions.)
To: dragonblustar
It would be measured in Costanzas — with the shrinkage quantification for Jupiter being a 1.
19
posted on
03/10/2012 11:50:08 AM PST
by
SunkenCiv
(I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him)
To: SunkenCiv
These planets could loosely be termed homeless planets.
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