4 ms·

New planet hints we're very lucky—or our models are wrong

• rw 17y ago
  If the star is <1.5 billion years old, and the planet is expected to fall into that star in <1 million years, how did that planet have both time to form (which would have occurred far away) and to have its orbit decay?
  • ars 17y ago
    The idea is that it formed farther away, and has been "falling" the whole time, and it's just about to hit the star. Which is dismissed as an unlikely coincidence, but maybe. We should be able to find out soon. If it's really that close, and the existing estimate for Q is correct, the orbital period should change measurably within the next year or two.
• cturner 17y ago
  The planet is sentient. It constantly swings its tides out to create momentum that prevents it from falling into the star.
  • gort 17y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_brain http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter_brain
  • randallsquared 17y ago
    ...and this is powered by energy from the vacuum?