Astronomers know our solar system better than any other, but they’re still learning new ways in which it doesn’t seem to be particularly normal.
*ping*
The core accretion model explains that gap with a mechanism called “runaway gas accretion.”
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So this is bad news for the “runaway gas accretion” model. Other models are still in the running.
If we allow sub-Saturns, then the semi-Saturns will be all “what about us?”
Then we’ll start hearing it from the demi-Saturns... I mean, it’ll never end!
It’s best to just not let it get started.
One Saturn has been plenty ‘nuff this long. It’ll just have to keep being enough.
We used to have one in between sized. It’s a pile of orbiting rubble now.
jupiter has wandered, with mars and other moons
having surfaces heralding massive impacts.
perhaps from the missing sub-saturns?
I purchased and still enjoy the “Great Courses” lecture series “The Origin and Evolution of Earth” led by Dr. Robert Hazen Ph.D. on the origin of our Solar System and Earth (2013). Now, here, it is a mere 6 years later and some of what he voiced so confidently has been made rather dicey in the current exoplanet discoveries. The item I find most in discrepancy from his 2013 lectures is his then-current accepted science description of how the early Solar System had the strengthening Sun sweep the lighter elements from the inner planets while allowing the Ice Giants (Jupiter to Neptune) to retain their Hydrogen & Helium atmospheres.
Now the exoplanets surveys have found ‘Jovian’ (Jupiter cousins) planets nestled close to their suns/stars while acceptable papers have been presented at AAAS and other prestigious conferences to talk about a ‘wandering Jupiter’ coming in close to Sol before moving back out to its current position with the effect of elimination ‘Super Earths’ of double size in the same orbit.
I am willing to accept that I may be wrong in the future BUT the “Rare Earth” hypothesis seems to me to be ever more pertinent as we discover more of our universe.
Jeeze, just when you thought the science was settled!
Easy answer. They stopped producing “Saturn” cars many years ago. Ergo, no more Saturns out there anymore.
Who cares?
Astronomers know our solar system better than any other, but they’re still learning new ways in which it doesn’t seem to be particularly normal.
Consensus thinking or how to fit the fact into the theory ...