There is considerable debate about the categorisation of Pluto. In light of this debate, lately I have been considering the issue, together with the categorisation of other planets and would be planets in our solar system. In doing so, I have etched a model which I hope proves useful to reaching a personal understanding of some of the issues involved. I am posting this in the hope that the model can be refined or even abandoned upon the feedback of better informed and/or qualified members here. I am not suggesting the model ought to replace the existing one(s) because the peer-reviewed paper it is based upon has only recently been published and appears to be still under consideration by the relevant parts of the scientific community.
In considering the issues I have made several posts in the various Pluto threads on this board. This post or model brings together some of the ideas in those posts, crystalised as a result of the following paper by Mikio Fukuhara in late November of last year. The model is based on the idea "what if this paper is correct?"
https://www.nature.com/articles/srep37740Abstract
The cause and source of the heat released from Earth’s interior have not yet been determined. Some research groups have proposed that the heat is supplied by radioactive decay or by a nuclear georeactor. Here we postulate that the generation of heat is the result of three-body nuclear fusion of deuterons confined in hexagonal FeDx core-centre crystals; the reaction rate is enhanced by the combined attraction effects of high-pressure (~364 GPa) and high-temperature (~5700 K) and by the physical catalysis of neutral pions: 2D + 2D + 2D → 21H + 4He + 2+ 20.85 MeV. The possible heat generation rate can be calculated as 8.12 × 1012 J/m3, based on the assumption that Earth’s primitive heat supply has already been exhausted. The H and He atoms produced and the anti-neutrino
are incorporated as Fe-H based alloys in the H-rich portion of inner core, are released from Earth’s interior to the universe, and pass through Earth, respectively
The basis of the model is that a planet, consistent with the idea put forward in the above paper, is capable of a nuclear reaction at its core. The paper deals specifically with Earth, but there is no reason to think that Earth is exceptional in this respect alone. In fact, there appears ample evidence from observations of other planets in our solar system and exoplanets that if Earth's core is nuclear active, then such a reaction is common.
As a starting point in relation to any planetary model I have chosen Earth. Regardless of whether Earth is the only mass which accords with the idea of a planet, it is to be thought of that Mass which most fulfills the idea of a planet.
Assuming the paper to be correct, that Earth's core is active, several things are taken into consideration in this model and possible implications of the model
- Earth's core nuclear activity appears balanced (the Goldilocks principle)
- The measure of balance is the presence of liquid water, with the further inference that such water sits on a solid surface, not necessarily at the planet's surface. The idea of a surface in this context being refined by reference the planet's ability "catch" or hold liquid water and not loose it into its interior or the atmosphere and then possibly space. The liquid water balance has protection.
- Thus, for any potential planet to be considered a Planet it must have a solid surface capable of "catching" or retaining a liquid. This is important because assuming a liquid on a surface being the measure of balance, then without such a potential it cannot achieve balance.
The model categorises the masses we refer to as planets and moons in the following way:
Earth - Planet (Balanced)
Mercury - 1st degree Planet (Spent - no longer nuclear active)
Venus - 1st degree Planet (Spent - no longer nuclear active)
Mars - 1st degree Planet (Spent - no longer nuclear active)
Pluto - 1st degree Planet (Active)
Ceres - 1st degree Planet (Spent - no longer nuclear active)
Proto Planets (no solid surface for liquid + nuclear active)
- Jupiter
- Saturn
- Uranus
- Neptune
2nd Degree Planets (examples)
Io (Active)
Europa (Active)
Ganymede (Spent)
Titan (Active)
Enceladus (Active)
The Moon (Spent)
The model speculates that the nuclear reaction assumed occurs or "sparks" approximately at the stage a circular form is achieved by a mass. This would give the model further geometry if correct.
Originally Posted by Shaula
