Iron planet

As iron planet is called planets, which consist mainly of a highly compressed iron core and have either no or almost no coat. In our solar system, the planet Mercury is the largest representative of the genus, but it is assumed that there are exoplanets that of iron are significantly larger and completely composed.

Formation

Iron planets can arise when an ordinary iron - silicate planet (such as the Earth ) is changed by impacts of gigantic proportions. Due to the impact of a very large body of the shell of the planet can be resolved and thrown into outer space would be left of the high density and relatively stable iron core. Current planet simulations predict the iron planet should arise, especially in systems where planets revolve around their central star in a very close orbit. Even in systems that are dominated by a particularly large star, the protoplanetary disk should be rich in iron and produce iron planet.

Properties

Iron planet should, because they lack a shell and they have a corresponding surface-volume ratio due to its high density, cool down very quickly. Therefore, it is not expected that such planets develop a magnetic field or show tectonic processes on their surface.

• Hypothetical astronomical object
• Planetology