Firstly, Jupiter is off sufficent size that the intense pressure at its centre causes fussion reactions to occour anyway. These reactions are not sufficent to cause Jupiter to initiate a chain reaction. If they were, then Jupiter would have already become a sun. And it hasn't, because....
Secondly, Jupiter is *far* too small to become a sun. Granted that Jupiter is a huge planet, but it is tiny compared to the sun, only 1/1000 the size. The minimum size for a cloud of gas to form the self sustaining reactions necessary to form a sun (and wouldn't *that* be cool to watch?) is 70% of the size of Sol, or, in other words, 700 times the size of Jupiter.
There is also the obvious point that we don't have a second sun.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-11-10 07:30 pm (UTC)Two things.
Firstly, Jupiter is off sufficent size that the intense pressure at its centre causes fussion reactions to occour anyway. These reactions are not sufficent to cause Jupiter to initiate a chain reaction. If they were, then Jupiter would have already become a sun. And it hasn't, because....
Secondly, Jupiter is *far* too small to become a sun. Granted that Jupiter is a huge planet, but it is tiny compared to the sun, only 1/1000 the size. The minimum size for a cloud of gas to form the self sustaining reactions necessary to form a sun (and wouldn't *that* be cool to watch?) is 70% of the size of Sol, or, in other words, 700 times the size of Jupiter.
There is also the obvious point that we don't have a second sun.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-10 08:41 pm (UTC)When the sun goes nova and burns up the terrestrial planets then Jupiter is likely to change and become earthlike, but not sun like.
But the reasoning behind the black spot is kinda freaky.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-10 11:00 pm (UTC)