Talk:Planetary core
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It would be great if as a part of this topic, someone could explain the methods scientists used to determine what the Earth's core consists of?
[edit] What "powers" the core?
Well, I came here looking for this information, so I'll use the talk page as to suggest what should be put in. My primary question is what "powers" the core? Originally the compression of matter and gravity generated the heat, but now it is hundreds of millions of years later and it still hasn't cooled, and the magnetic strength of the Earth (caused by an ever rotating iron core) is still about 90% as it once was, which IMO, even jumps up in strength sometimes, ie. ice age, and isn't more of losing energy than preparing for a magnetic pole switch.
Is it the Earth's orbit around the sun, transferring the momentum to the Earth's core? Or the sun's slow orbit around other stars, and with the galaxy et al powering all this? Or the sun's magnetic field? What then? -- Natalinasmpf 14:56, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC)
- Well, I'm no hard scientist here, but I'd say the sun, pressure, and in a general sense, nothing. First off, what do you mean by "powers?" The planet isn't really doing anything then falling through space. It's still liquid and hot down in the center, but where do you think this would go? The planet radiates heat out into the universe, but the sun also warms it. If the question is why is it hotter in the center then it is right here? Well then I would say that pressure, although I'd have a hard time justifying that. Something to the effect that as pressure increases, temperature increases. Now the earth isn't nearly big enough to cause a chain reaction like the sun or a black hole. Although I heard that Jupiter is so big it gives off more heat then it recieves. But I believe you are thinking about the heat death of the universe. That starts around 10^14. We've been around for about 10^9. You know, probably-ish. So yeah, earth isn't powered by anything and is winding down. 64.238.49.65 20:57, 31 October 2006 (UTC)
