Tuesday, June 2, 2026

How planets (can) lose (half) their crusts

On topic of lavaworlds, last April four people wrote "Coupled orbital and interior structure evolution of lava planets" and, on the 20th, posted it. But the pdf says 22nd. Dude! Whoa.

The claim is they ain't natural. Planets born to that heat should have all their material blasted out on formation. Where planetary systems are known to have stayed in-situ, like the Trappist-1 system, are no lava planets. The lava planets instead are around K2-141, K2-360, TOI-141, TOI-431, TOI-2431, HD 3167 and GJ/Gliese 367 all marked "b". (No 55 Cancri e?)

The thought is that they formed in systems where are much larger planets further out. These, as our planets have done to Mercury, pulled their orbits into eccentricity. As they skirt their stars, they raise tides - on the star and on themselves. Now another equilibrium can assert itself. These shattered worlds (like in Star Control 2) reform themselves this close to their stars, in a circular orbit which outer planets cannot much touch. Then they lock tidally. Inner side melts; outer side re-hardens.

The process happens over billions of years so is not done for, say, TOI-431 which isn't even 3Gy yet.

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