Sentences with phrase «rocky core begins»

This represents the stage at which the planet's solid rocky core begins to melt, creating a molten material that sloshes around in Mercury's mantle before erupting onto the surface.

Not exact matches

Although most asteroids now are rocky through and through, the new findings suggest that back at the beginning of the solar system even planetesimals could melt at their cores and retain a rocky crust.

Some planets are so near their star that they are losing mass too rapidly to have been planets for very long.14 Besides, their rocky cores would have melted before the planet's evolution could begin.15 Others are too far from their star and the dust near the star needed to grow a planet.