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Rocky Planet Formation Through Hot Gas Giant Accretion

-- Tim Dean | May 9, 2021

Question:

Based on your observations, do you believe that it is likely that the four rocky planets in our solar system went through a “hot gas giant” phase around the time of thermonuclear ignition of the sun?

-- Tim Dean

Answer:

I believe that you are probably referring to the theory of planet formation which proposes that some rocky planets could have started as gas giants. I am not aware of any observations that differentiate this mode of rocky planet formation from other modes of planet formation, nor of an application of this mode of rocky planet formation for our Solar System. In the end, I think that one could say this is a plausible mode of rocky planet formation, but I am not aware of this formation mode having been verified through observations.

-- Jeff Mangum

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