Gas giant

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Gas giants: from top - Neptune, Uranus, Saturn and Jupiter

The gas giants are the four largest planets in our solar system. They are called, in order of their distance to the sun, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Gas giants are also the largest known type of planet in the universe. From current observations they are largely composed of gas and liquid. On account of their thick atmospheres and their distances from Earth, astronomers do not know whether the gas giants have a solid surface like the terrestrial planets.

Other gas giants ("hot Jupiters") may also exist outside of the solar system, and are believed by a number of astronomers to be of sufficient size to be detectable from Earth. Reports of gas giants in other star systems have already appeared in the astronomical and astrophysical literature.

Formation and Age

Main Article: Nebula theory

As with most phenomena, evolutionists assert that gas giants take millions of years to form, and ridicule the authors of young-earth models for thinking any differently. But recent observations and theories suggest that these planets don't take nearly as long to form as previously thought.[1] In fact the theories actually help explain the relative abundance of gas giants.

Table

[[Includes::{{#ask:Member of::Gas giant|link=none|limit=250|sep=| ]][[Includes::}}| ]] {{#ask:Primary::Sun Member of::Gas giant |?Periapsis#AU=Perihelion |?Apoapsis#AU=Aphelion |?Orbital eccentricity=Eccentricity |?Sidereal period#a=Sidereal year |?Inclination#° |?Planet mass#M⊕=Mass |?Sidereal day#h |sort=Semi-major axis |order=asc |format=table |mainlabel=Name |intro = List of gas giants, from the innermost to the outermost: |}}

Reference

  1. Graham, Sarah. "New Model Hints at Quick Formation of Gas Giants." Scientific American, December 2, 2002. Accessed June 19, 2008.

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