History of Solar System formation and evolution hypotheses moon and Mercury was a moon of Venus but drifted away because of the Sun's gravitational influence. Mars was a moon of Bellatrix. One major argument against exploding planets and moons is that there would not be an energy source powerful enough to cause such explosions. In J. Marvin Herndon's model, inner (large-core) planets form by condensation and raining-out from within giant gaseous protoplanets at high pressures and high temperatures. Earth's complete condensation included a c. 300 Earth-mass gas/ice shell that compressed the rocky kernel to about 66% of Earth's present diameter (Jupiter equates to about 300 Earth masses, which
The Science of Aliens possibilities for alien life. The second section explores the variety of life on Earth and the extreme conditions in which it can survive. It looks at recent missions to moons and planets in the Solar System and what they can tell us about alien life before going on to examine some extra-solar planets. The next section presents two fictional planets, Aurelia and Blue Moon and their ecosystems as imagined by scientists. These are used to explore the factors and parameters governing life on other planets and are presented as two large interactive landscapes. The exhibition concludes by looking at the