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Suicidal planet seems on death spiral into star
YahooNews ^
| Aug 26 2009
| Seth Borenstein
Posted on 08/26/2009 5:35:52 PM PDT by Daffynition
WASHINGTON — Astronomers have found what appears to be a gigantic suicidal planet.
The odd, fiery planet is so close to its star and so large that it is triggering tremendous plasma tides on the star. Those powerful tides are in turn warping the planet's zippy less-than-a-day orbit around its star.
The result: an ever-closer tango of death, with the planet eventually spiraling into the star.
It is a slow death. The planet WASP-18b has maybe a million years to live, said planet discoverer Coel Hellier, a professor of astrophysics at Keele University in England. Hellier's report on the suicidal planet is in Thursday's issue of the journal Nature.
"It's causing its own destruction by creating these tides," Hellier said.
[snip]
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; catastrophism; planet; science; superwasp; wasp18b; xplanets
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To: Daffynition
“The result: an ever-closer tango of death”
Pretty much the same as dealing with Democrats.
2
posted on
08/26/2009 5:37:42 PM PDT
by
BobL
To: Daffynition
It’s inhabitants must be guilty of global warming...
3
posted on
08/26/2009 5:37:46 PM PDT
by
Dixie Yooper
(Ephesians 6:11)
To: Daffynition
To: Daffynition
Sounds like the description of the “whiffle bird” which you used to see in old biology texts.....
5
posted on
08/26/2009 5:39:29 PM PDT
by
wendy1946
To: Daffynition
Must be a Disaster Area reunion concert!
6
posted on
08/26/2009 5:41:34 PM PDT
by
dr_who
To: Daffynition
Less than a day orbit? Unless planets are tougher than I think, that one should be gone by now.
7
posted on
08/26/2009 5:41:39 PM PDT
by
wastedyears
(Genesis, Sega CD and Saturn work, and my 360 red rings after 2 and a half years.)
Comment #8 Removed by Moderator
To: sig226; KevinDavis
9
posted on
08/26/2009 5:42:26 PM PDT
by
JerseyJohn61
(Better Late Than Never.......sometimes over lapping is worth the effort....)
To: Daffynition
The only suicidal planet I know of is The Late Great Planet Earth.
To: Daffynition
It's justa story - right?
11
posted on
08/26/2009 5:45:54 PM PDT
by
JoeProBono
(A closed mouth gathers no feet)
To: Wisconsinlady
See? We’re not alone. Now if I could just get back to rusting away here...no, that’s alright, don’t try to cheer me up. A million years goes faster than you think.
12
posted on
08/26/2009 5:47:33 PM PDT
by
TigersEye
(0bama: "I can see Mecca from the WH portico." --- Google - Cloward-Piven Strategy)
To: Wisconsinlady
DING! DING! We have a winnah!
13
posted on
08/26/2009 5:53:31 PM PDT
by
Daffynition
("...... we are about to be czarred and fettered." ~ alterum ictum faciam.)
To: GeronL; Lawdoc; Carlucci; Zoe Brain; callisto; scottinoc; Movemout; markman46; AntiKev; ...
For other space news go to: http://www.spacetoday.net
14
posted on
08/26/2009 5:53:46 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Can't Stop the Signal!)
To: JoeProBono
R-i-g-h-t!
15
posted on
08/26/2009 5:55:12 PM PDT
by
Daffynition
("...... we are about to be czarred and fettered." ~ alterum ictum faciam.)
To: Daffynition; 75thOVI; aimhigh; Alice in Wonderland; AndrewC; aragorn; aristotleman; ...
16
posted on
08/26/2009 5:57:59 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
To: Daffynition
Planet populated by liberals.
17
posted on
08/26/2009 5:58:10 PM PDT
by
beethovenfan
(If Islam is the solution, the "problem" must be freedom.)
To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; garbageseeker; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Thanks Daffynition! LiberConservative, looks like the problem described was just a glitch!
18
posted on
08/26/2009 5:59:00 PM PDT
by
SunkenCiv
(https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
To: JoeProBono
Pre-50’s sci-fi had the coolest penis-aliens ever!
19
posted on
08/26/2009 5:59:00 PM PDT
by
Brett66
(Where government advances, and it advances relentlessly , freedom is imperiled -Janice Rogers Brown)
To: Daffynition
20
posted on
08/26/2009 5:59:40 PM PDT
by
Colonel_Flagg
(You're either in or in the way.)
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