I have never seen this classification. Would or could a planet this size (Jupiter sized) have a rocky core. I assume not and the term Water Giant simply refers to chemical make-up.
Regarding the Gallilean moons, I read a book by John S. Lewis, Worlds Without End, which opined rocky planets with much greater than Earth mass would tend to be water worlds and planets with less mass would tend to be worlds with high mountain ranges and more land masses.
Lewis was/is a prof of Planetary science at U of Arizona. I realize that simple planetary mass may be an oversimplification of planetary formation but is there any validity to his theory?
You seem to indicate that the Jupiter moons (Europa) rocky mass would gather (collapse?) as a ball in spite of mass.
Space/Science » in reply to re: HD 188015 b
Water Giant?
The whole thread (23 posts)
- 5 new gas giant planets - one in the habitable zone?
- re: HD 188015 b