Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site dalcs.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!garfield!dreacad!dalcs!holmes From: holmes@dalcs.UUCP (Ray Holmes) Newsgroups: net.sci Subject: Re: Re: VB-8B: First Planet Outside Solar System Discovered Message-ID: <1399@dalcs.UUCP> Date: Sat, 22-Dec-84 10:49:49 EST Article-I.D.: dalcs.1399 Posted: Sat Dec 22 10:49:49 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 14:47:10 EST References:<1279@dciem.UUCP> Organization: Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S., Canada Lines: 19 > > I was under the impression that a planet bigger than 2 or 3 times Jupiter > could not exist, because it would ignite and be a dwarf star if it were > any heavier. If this new object is a planet over 30 times Jupiter mass, > is the theory wrong, or is it a companion star rather than a planet? > The reported temperature suggests that it might have an internal source > of heat. Can a hydrogen-burning star exist at 1000-2000K? > -- > > Martin Taylor > {allegra,linus,ihnp4,floyd,ubc-vision}!utzoo!dciem!mmt > {uw-beaver,qucis,watmath}!utcsrgv!dciem!mmt And I was under the impression that anything even slightly larger than Jupiter could become a star. I believe that Jupiter does, in fact, have an internal heat source. Maybe I'm wrong, but a planet 30 times that size seems to be nearly impossible. Ray