Can a hollow planet exist?

Discussion in 'Astronomy, Exobiology, & Cosmology' started by Larry Johnson, Jun 10, 2013.

  1. origin Heading towards oblivion Valued Senior Member

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    That is a fascinating area the was formed during the ice age. It was not Lake Bonneville, that is in Utah, the lake that caused the canyons, dry waterfalls and pot holes was near the Canadian / USA border as I recall.
     
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  3. origin Heading towards oblivion Valued Senior Member

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    Right back atcha.

    Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!

     
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  5. KitemanSA Registered Senior Member

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    Right you are. Lake Bonneville did indeed flood the area and help form the Columbia River gourge, but it was Lake Missoula that created the scablands (not scrublands as I stated).

    None-the-less, the message remains accurate, such unusual actions did occur. Tales of earth ending floods abound because the were MANY "world ending" floods at the end of the ice age. At least the floods destroyed all the world the lucky survivers had known.
     
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  7. Thibeinn Registered Member

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    Consider things scientists proved were "facts" long ago but which have since been proven to be false.

    How long were some of those "facts" held to be true before they were proven false?

    I'm stating that some scientific "facts" held to be true now may well turn out to be proven false at some later time.

    Also, sometimes a past "fact" which was later proven false has been resurrected in a new form, and the general concensus becomes that it is possible that the resurrected form may turn out to be true. An example of this is Le Sage's theory of gravitation in which particles called "ultra-mundane corpuscles" were responsible for gravity. His theory and the existence of "ultra-mundane corpuscles" was later proven wrong. Now there are Quantum physicists theorizing about gravitons and the general concensus is they will probably be proven to exist.

    So, just because the general concensus now is that no planet is hollow, doesn't mean the general concensus among scientists will not change in the future.
     
    Last edited: Jul 28, 2013
  8. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    True! And even though scientists currently do not think the moon is made of cheese, that consensus may change in the future as well. Perhaps even a hollow sort of cheese - Swiss? It would certainly solve our Swiss cheese shortages here on Earth.
     
  9. Thibeinn Registered Member

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    You are a Swiss mouse, right?
     
  10. billvon Valued Senior Member

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    More Austrian than Swiss actually.
     
  11. KitemanSA Registered Senior Member

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    It is not so much a matter of "consensus" as a matter of definition. The definition of planet precludes a hollow sphere.

    A planet is spherical BY ITS OWN GRAVITY. A hollow sphere wouldn't be.
     
  12. river

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    Well a planet could be hollow if the spin , hence centrifugal force , was great enough and the core was molten enough
     
  13. KitemanSA Registered Senior Member

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    In your hypothesized case, the planet would fly apart into a number of smaller pieces.

    Oh, and it wouldn't be spherical.

    Not a planet.
     
  14. river

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    Hence the complications of a hollow planet coming into existence
     
  15. flat universe Registered Member

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    I don't believe so. Theoretically, the spin could support such a planet at the equator. However, what would support the planet in the polar regions? Rock forming minerals would not be strong enough, assuming you are talking about a planet at least the size of Mercury or larger.
     
  16. river

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    That would depend on speed of the rotation and/or the density of the molten mass
     

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