Jump to content

Gas Giant Moons


Holo

Recommended Posts

The combined masses of the entire Jovian moon system is only about comparable to the mass of Mars, so even if you scale up to a super-Jove of say 50 Jupiter masses it seems unlikely that you'd be able to form a second gas giant through direct accretion. Gravitational capture is a different story, and is entirely possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It would probably act more as a binary system, with a common center of gravity point between both planets.

Not for a Uranus or Neptune orbiting a super-Jove; the mass disparity there is about comparable to the Earth-Moon system, so you'd see similar effects.

Well, if there was a planet much denser than Jupiter, it, realistically, wouldn't be a planet so much as a star. Seriously, though, I doubt that would happen. The scenarios mentioned above would be more realistic.

You can get a lot denser than Jupiter before you get into star territory. In fact, as you start adding mass to a super-Jove, it doesn't really grow much in size, it just gets denser. You don't start getting into brown dwarf territory until 75-80 Jupiter masses, and proper stars are much more massive.

Edited by Stochasty
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You can get a lot denser than Jupiter before you get into star territory. In fact, as you start adding mass to a super-Jove, it doesn't really grow much in size, it just gets denser. You don't start getting into brown dwarf territory until 75-80 Jupiter masses, and proper stars are much more massive.

About 13 Jupiter masses, actually.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's completely possible, your system using a size ratio of, say, 1:20, requires both participants to be very distant from one another.

The other previously described system is a binary system, where 2 gas giant planetoids of similar size orbit a common barycenter of gravity.

You only have to watch out for the density, Uranus could have Jupiter orbit it, although tidally locked and with an above-surface barycenter, simply due to Uranus's density and (due to distance from the Sun) much larger gravity well. Neptune has the largest gravity well in the solar system, purely due to its distance from the sun. Neptune is barely the 4th largest planet and an ice giant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This thread is quite old. Please consider starting a new thread rather than reviving this one.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...