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General Discussion => Science & Nature => Topic started by: sam on March 23, 2010, 23:56

Title: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 23, 2010, 23:56

Quote

jitendraharlalka noted a piece about the origins of Neptune. There is a theory now that it once ate a super-earth in the outer solar system, and kept its moon as some sort of macabre trophy to make sure that Mars and Venus didn't get any big ideas.

http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/03/23/199223/Neptune-May-Have-Eaten-a-Planet-and-Stolen-Its-Moon


hmmmm... need to read this properly but I'm not convinced.

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Simon on March 23, 2010, 23:58

Who, or what, is "jitendraharlalka"?

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 23, 2010, 23:59

oh some user on slashdot I guess.... see the link inside the article

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 24, 2010, 00:00

or here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527522.900-neptune-may-have-eaten-a-planet-and-stolen-its-moon.html

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Simon on March 24, 2010, 00:06

Ah, right.

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 24, 2010, 00:09

my fault, should have just gone to the source.

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Clive on March 24, 2010, 14:40

In scientific circles New Scientist is the equivalent of the Sun - very entertaining but highly speculative.  All good fun of course and don't we love it!   ;D  It's a very interesting scenario but the article does not contain any real evidence that this event took place.  Nevertheless it makes a great bedtime story!   ;D 

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 24, 2010, 22:23

indeed... and we have to have some story telling in science otherwise there would be no exploration of the "maybe"

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Clive on March 24, 2010, 23:19

We have to get people hooked somehow!   ;D

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: sam on March 25, 2010, 00:12

I thought that was the point of Star Trek?

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Simon on March 25, 2010, 00:54

\\//  ;D

Title: Re: Neptune May Have Eaten a Planet and Stolen Its Moon
Post by: Clive on March 25, 2010, 09:09

 :arf: