Carbon-rich planet may have diamond core

[24KT]

Carbon-rich planet may have diamond core

Scientists may need to rewrite the textbooks following the discovery of a carbon-rich planet outside our solar system.


The planet's atmosphere is abundant in carbon monoxide, and
has considerably more methane and less water than would be
expected for a planet of this temperature in our solar system.
(Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC) )

The discovery made using the Spitzer Space Telescope poses new questions about how planets are made and how their atmospheres work.

Reporting in the journal Nature, Nikku Madhusudhan and colleagues from Princeton University say the planet WASP-12B has an atmosphere with equal parts carbon and oxygen.

Madhusudhan said that's double the ratio of carbon to oxygen seen in planets in our solar system, and has implications for the planet's internal structure.

"The high carbon-to-oxygen ratio indicates a carbide or diamond interior rather than the silicate geology of the Earth," he said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/12/09/carbon-planet-diamond.html


Could you imagine a entire mountain range made of diamonds?   

[225for70]

Carbon-rich planet may have diamond core

Scientists may need to rewrite the textbooks following the discovery of a carbon-rich planet outside our solar system.


The planet's atmosphere is abundant in carbon monoxide, and
has considerably more methane and less water than would be
expected for a planet of this temperature in our solar system.
(Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (SSC) )

The discovery made using the Spitzer Space Telescope poses new questions about how planets are made and how their atmospheres work.

Reporting in the journal Nature, Nikku Madhusudhan and colleagues from Princeton University say the planet WASP-12B has an atmosphere with equal parts carbon and oxygen.

Madhusudhan said that's double the ratio of carbon to oxygen seen in planets in our solar system, and has implications for the planet's internal structure.

"The high carbon-to-oxygen ratio indicates a carbide or diamond interior rather than the silicate geology of the Earth," he said.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2010/12/09/carbon-planet-diamond.html


Could you imagine a entire mountain range made of diamonds?  

Would that would make everyone on earth rich beyond or wildest dreams?no

The more likely option will be that diamonds will be priced more inline with steel.

[magicuser]

I wonder to what extent the scientists just make this stuff up.

I know they have to cointinue publishing papers.

Wow

How much of these claims is inference?