GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Moderator announce: Ponders' discussion of global warming

Chris Barnes · 09-01-2008, 06:11 PM posted to rec.ponds.moderated

wrote:
I wonder if Mars is going thru a flip-flop or reduced magnetic field like earth goes
thru every so often?

I think it has more to do with the fact that the earth has a molten iron
core (which spins), while it is thought that Mars does not. Speculation
is that when a mars-sized planet collided with the earth ~3 billion
years ago forming the moon we have, it melted the earth. This allowed
the denser iron to sink to the middle. Since no such collision
occurred for mars (it's moon is very small, basically a captured
asteroid), it never had the opportunity to have an iron core.

PS: I may be a computer geek, but working in a physics department with
my office near the astronomers is fun. ;-)

--

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Chris Barnes AOL IM: CNBarnes
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"Usenet really is all about standing around and hitting the ground
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