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| Fig. 1Grooves around Vesta's Equator |
It is a legitimate hypothesis or theory that I have written about over the years (e.g. Weekend Rebel Science Excursion, 7, 11; Exploded Planet Hypothesis, 2; Are Some or All Comets Pieces of an Exploded Planet?).
The current cosmological hypothesis or theory of planetary and stellar evolution is discussed in the context of exploding stars, which also impact planets (On the Origin of the Genes of Viruses - 5).
We discussed the issue when the Dawn Spacecraft (NASA Dawn Mission) was at the asteroid Vesta (Fig. 1), before it moved on to its current location at the asteroid Ceres .(Dawn Mission Nears Ceres Orbit Maneuvers).
The phases of a planet exploding is illustrated in Fig. 2 - Fig. 5.
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| Fig. 2 |
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| Fig. 3 |
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| Fig. 4 |
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| Fig. 5 |
Eventually the planet breaks up.
The ice covered continent is ejected into space as huge chunks of crustal debris mixed with the water and miles-thick ice chunks (Fig. 4).
As space, time, and gravity work on the chunks, some join to form odd shaped space junk, maintaining an ungainly shape for a span of time.
Let's call one of them "Proto-Ceres," which will eventually become the asteroid Ceres (Fig. 5).
Other chunks from parts of the planet without as much ice or water, but with large layers of the planet's surface strata laid down by water and wind over millennia, eventually form a less perfect spherical form, such as the asteroid Vesta (Fig. 1).
If the once-planetary fragments which have now become an asteroid we call Proto-Ceres, is large enough, it will eventually morph into a sphere:
Planets are round because their gravitational field acts as though it originates from the center of the body and pulls everything toward it. With its large body and internal heating from radioactive elements, a planet behaves like a fluid, and over long periods of time succumbs to the gravitational pull from its center of gravity. The only way to get all the mass as close to planet's center of gravity as possible is to form a sphere. The technical name for this process is "isostatic adjustment."(Why are planets round?). Remember that some of the debris is sharp-edged granite or granite-like boulders miles wide.
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| Fig. 6 |
Those came from sections of the planet's rock layers of crust and were ejected along with the great ice sheets and other matter.
As the Proto-Ceres slowly, over many years, morphed into the asteroid Ceres (Fig. 6), the ice, dirt, sand, rocks, and water were relocated by the forces of gravity over time.
The giant chunk of granite or granite-like rock still
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| Fig. 7Pyramid |
There are other mysteries such as the bright spots (Fig. 6) which are still being studied.
When the software problems are rectified, and the Dawn Spacecraft moves into the lower orbit of about 250 miles above the surface, more will be known and discovered.
I guess that is enough science fact and hypotheses for today, so I will close this post.
Have a good 4th of July weekend, and be safe !