Strange “Egg shell Planets” Possible around other Stars

“ Egg shell Planets” are rocky planets that have outer ultra-thin outer brittle layer and no topography. They are among rich variety of exoplanets possible. As per new study three such worlds are found during astronomical survey. Scientists can use planned and further space telescopes to examine such exoplanets. However they are not right for life.

Plate tectonics is accepted scientific theory that considers a planets lithosphere comprise a large number of tectonic planets. “ Understanding whether you have possibility of plate tectonics is not really important thing to now because plate tectonics are required for rocky planet to be habitable,” says Byrne associate professor a faculty fellow of university’s M McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences. “ It is therefore especially important when we are talking about Earth like worlds around other stars,” says Byrne.

More than 4,000 exoplanets have been discovered and considered confirmed. Byrne’s study offers new ways that scientists could identify eggshell planets that could be interesting because of their particular combination of size, age and distance to their host star. “ We have imaged a few exoplanets that are orbiting a star. We have no technical ability to see the surface of exoplanets yet,” Byrne said.

Planets have certain qualities like size, interior temperature and materials they are made of. Other properties and more function of planet’s environment like how far it is from the sun. The planets known to humans are those in our solar system. Exoplanets experience conditions in a more extreme way than the planets in solar system.

The thickness of planets help to determine whether a planet can support high topography such as mountains or has right balance between rigidity and flexibility. Thus tectonics is thought to be important component of planetary habitability.

Perhaps similar to parts of Venus

A new model predicts worlds are small, old or far from star likely have thick, rigid layers but in some circumstances planets might have outer brittle layer only a few kilometer thick. Thus they are called eggshell planets. They might resemble lowlands of Venus and a question arises are we alone?

“That is a big reach,” Byrne said. One of the many things we need to know is what kinds of properties influence a world like Earth. And outcomes might be possible with research from new generation telescopes.