G0at0verL0rd
Acolyte
Is it possible to have a livable planet that doesn’t have a core like the earth has?
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Coreless Planet
- Thread starter G0at0verL0rd
- Start date
ScaryMJDiamcreep
Troubadour
Depends on what you mean by core. Do you mean that the planet is hollow, or just that it doesn't have a solid core?
Vaporo
Inkling
Every realistic planet will have a core to some degree or another. If you mean "lacking an iron-nickel magnetic core," then the answers is... maybe. The magnetic field protects us from charged particles radiating from the sun. While life could technically survive the charged particles, the atmosphere may not. Scientists believe that Mars used to have liquid water and a (potentially) breathable atmosphere. However, solar winds stripped away the atmosphere, owing to Mars's lack of magnetic field.
Although I'm a little bit fuzzy on the science here, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
Plus, I'm only guessing at your meaning of "planet without a core." You'll probably need to clarify a bit more.
What bearing will the nature of the world's core have on the story?
Although I'm a little bit fuzzy on the science here, so somebody correct me if I'm wrong.
Plus, I'm only guessing at your meaning of "planet without a core." You'll probably need to clarify a bit more.
What bearing will the nature of the world's core have on the story?
As Vaporo said: speaking from a scientific standpoint - no. Hollow planets are not a thing that happens naturally. That being said, it wouldn't be too hard to justify a core-less planet using far-future tech magic. One of the biggest effects of a core-less planet would be vastly lowered density. A brief search tells me that one-third of the mass of our planet is in the core, so if that didn't exist the gravity of the earth would be one-third lower.
Then, onto the lack of magnetic field and what that would mean in both short term (toss out your compass, folks!) and long-term (stock up on high-strength sunscreen. And lead sheeting). Probably a few other changes as well.
Then, onto the lack of magnetic field and what that would mean in both short term (toss out your compass, folks!) and long-term (stock up on high-strength sunscreen. And lead sheeting). Probably a few other changes as well.
Without a core? Like instead of a core it would be a vaccuum like in space? Or a livable atmosphere? Or a different type of substance all together?
Fantasy: Yeah, why not?
Sci Fi: It's a hard sell. First you have to have a heavy substance serve as the core of the planet, and then you would have to get rid of it without destabilizing the rest of the planet. So like, "a strange heavy gas that somehow attracts gravitational waves" and then have it "break down into lighter substances expelled in volcano-like springs across the planet." I think you might get suspension of disbelief if you handle it right.
Reality: No, it would never happen. Gravity pulls things together, and the more stuff there is the stronger the gravity. There's no realistic way to form a balloon, as any kind of gas in that kind of pressure would condense into a solid, and if you could somehow find a way to hollow out the planet, the whole thing would just implode on itself.
Fantasy: Yeah, why not?
Sci Fi: It's a hard sell. First you have to have a heavy substance serve as the core of the planet, and then you would have to get rid of it without destabilizing the rest of the planet. So like, "a strange heavy gas that somehow attracts gravitational waves" and then have it "break down into lighter substances expelled in volcano-like springs across the planet." I think you might get suspension of disbelief if you handle it right.
Reality: No, it would never happen. Gravity pulls things together, and the more stuff there is the stronger the gravity. There's no realistic way to form a balloon, as any kind of gas in that kind of pressure would condense into a solid, and if you could somehow find a way to hollow out the planet, the whole thing would just implode on itself.
