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Study: Strange Planet Has Atmosphere of Gaseous Rock -- and It Rains Pebbles
Discover 'blogs ^ | October 1, 2009 | unattributed

Posted on 10/03/2009 7:18:52 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

The exoplanet Corot-7b... is extraordinarily close to its parent star, and researchers think that it's tidally locked so that one hemisphere always faces the star's blasting heat. On that side, temperatures are thought to reach about 4,220 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to vaporize rock... its atmosphere consists of what might be called vaporized rock... during storms, pebbles may condense out of the atmosphere. "As you go higher the atmosphere gets cooler and eventually you get saturated with different types of 'rock' the way you get saturated with water in the atmosphere of Earth," Fegley explained. "But instead of a water cloud forming and then raining water droplets, you get a 'rock cloud' forming and it starts raining out little pebbles of different types of rock" [SPACE.com].

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.discovermagazine.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; corot7b; science; xplanets

1 posted on 10/03/2009 7:18:53 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; garbageseeker; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
 
X-Planets
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2 posted on 10/03/2009 7:19:39 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

For a minute, I thought this was a description of Algore . . . Until it got to the “rains rock part!


3 posted on 10/03/2009 7:24:14 PM PDT by DustyMoment (FloriDUH - proud inventors of pregnant/hanging chads and judicide!!)
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To: SunkenCiv

No, send Liberals there. They’ll outlaw rock rain.


4 posted on 10/03/2009 7:28:53 PM PDT by wastedyears (The best aid we could ever give Africa would be thousands of rifles to throw out their own dictators)
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To: SunkenCiv

whoa


5 posted on 10/03/2009 7:44:08 PM PDT by GeronL (meow)
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To: wastedyears; SunkenCiv

No, send Liberals there. They’ll outlaw rock rain.

###########

Correction, send the Libs there & they’ll smoke the rock!


6 posted on 10/03/2009 8:01:03 PM PDT by Atom Smasher
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To: SunkenCiv
...and it rains pebbles.

"Fruity or Cocoa?"


7 posted on 10/03/2009 8:01:43 PM PDT by JRios1968 (The real first rule of Fight Club: don't invite Chuck Norris...EVER)
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To: SunkenCiv


Get the large size. You might need several coats.
8 posted on 10/03/2009 8:11:08 PM PDT by Thrownatbirth (.....Iraq Invasion fan since '91.)
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To: SunkenCiv

A new home for the Gitmo detainees.


9 posted on 10/03/2009 8:12:27 PM PDT by reg45 (Be calm everyone. The idiot children are in charge!)
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To: SunkenCiv
"Sounds like my kind of place!"


10 posted on 10/03/2009 8:42:23 PM PDT by Clock King (There's no way to fix D.C.)
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To: SunkenCiv

Is that the same planet that had metallic dust filling the atmosphere and that had the dust, copper, I think, condensing into small discs that fell to ground? Pennies from heaven!


11 posted on 10/03/2009 9:06:26 PM PDT by count-your-change (You don't have be brilliant, not being stupid is enough.)
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To: SunkenCiv

bfl


12 posted on 10/03/2009 9:10:24 PM PDT by Skooz (Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us Gabba Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us)
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To: SunkenCiv
Odd how they can assume so much about a dot in the night sky that we can’t even see without the most powerful telescopes.

But even if they are right about the planet, pebble rain showers is pretty boring. Alert me when they find a planet full of beautiful amazonian women.

13 posted on 10/03/2009 9:16:55 PM PDT by NavyCanDo
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To: NavyCanDo

Hey, I think we live on one. :’)


14 posted on 10/03/2009 9:55:32 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

15 posted on 10/03/2009 10:46:36 PM PDT by JoeProBono (A closed mouth gathers no feet)
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