English: Comparison of several possible sizes for the
exoplanet Gliese 581 d with the
Solar System planets Earth and Neptune, using approximate models of planetary radius as a function of mass
[1] for several possible compositions, based on mass reported in the Open Exoplanet Catalogue
[2] as of 2015-11-14. Models include:
water world with a rocky core, composed of 75% H
2O, 3% Fe, 22% MgSiO
3
hypothetical pure water (ice) planet, the largest size for Gliese 581 d without a significant H/He envelope
rocky terrestrial "Earth-like" planet, composed of 67% Fe, 32.5% MgSiO
3
hypothetical pure iron planet, Gliese 581 d's theoretical smallest size
Gliese 581 d is not likely to be smaller than the iron planet, and will be considerably larger than the water planet if significant H or He is present. For non-transiting planets, all modeled sizes will be underestimates to the extent that the planet's actual mass is larger than the reported minimum mass.
- ↑ Seager, S.; M. Kuchner, C. A. Hier-Majumder and B. Militzer (2007). "Mass–radius relationships for solid exoplanets". The Astrophysical Journal 669: 1279–1297. DOI:10.1086/521346. Retrieved on 2015-11-14.
- ↑ Open Exoplanet Catalogue (2015-11-14). Retrieved on 2015-11-14.