Neptune tagged posts

Neptune-mass exoplanets like the one shown in this artist’s rendering may be the most common in the icy regions of planetary systems. Beyond a certain distance from a young star, water and other substances remain frozen, leading to an abundant population of icy objects that can collide and form the cores of new planets. In the foreground, an icy body left over from this period drifts past the planet. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Francis Reddy

A new statistical study of planets found by gravitational microlensing suggests that Neptune-mass worlds are likely the most common type of planet to form in the icy outer realms of planetary systems...

The interior structure of Uranus is illustrated. Credit: MIPT Press office

The depths of Uranus, Neptune and their satellites may contain extraordinary compounds, such as Carbonic and Orthocarbonic acids (aka Hitler’s acid). These gas giants consist mainly of hydrogen, carbon and oxygen, which are the 3 cornerstones of organic chemistry. Using computer modeling, chemists from MIPT and Skoltech found at high pressures, typical for the interiors of such planets, exotic molecular and polymeric compounds are formed. “We have found that at a pressure of several million atmospheres unexpected compounds should form in their interiors. The cores of these planets may largely consist of these exotic materials,” says Prof. Artem Oganov.

A team led by Professor Oganov developed the world’s most univer...