Inside planets and stars

Composition, structure and internal dynamics of planets and stars.

Subjects: Planetary science · Earth science · Astrophysics

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Earth’s interior

Structure, water and rock chemistry, magnetic-field power, and seismic signals from deep inside Earth.

8 problems

Stellar explosions

How stars explode, what they leave behind, and where heavy elements form.

5 problems

Planets and rings

Planet formation, atmospheres, thermal histories, distant orbits and Saturn’s moons and rings.

15 problems

Problems in this collection

6 problems

Jupiter’s interior

Juno’s measurements suggest that Jupiter’s core blends gradually into its hydrogen-rich surroundings. How large is this region, what is it made of, and how did it form?

Earth’s core composition

Earth’s core is mostly iron and nickel, but these alone do not explain its measured properties. Which lighter elements are mixed in, and how are they distributed?

Uranus’s internal heat

Uranus does release heat from its interior, despite older claims that it does not. How does its interior lose heat and produce the seasonal energy budget we observe?

Solar modelling problem

Measurements of the Sun’s composition and interior do not all agree with standard solar models. Which changes would make the different lines of evidence fit together?

Solar dynamo

Where and how does the Sun regenerate the magnetic field underlying its activity cycle?

Saturn’s tidal dissipation

Saturn transfers spin to its moons, moving them outward. The strength and frequency pattern of this transfer point to unusually effective internal energy loss. Which interior processes set those rates and their evolution?

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