Carbon planet
Revision as of 01:27, 19 March 2009 by Daedalus-01 (talk | contribs)
Carbon planets are a theoretical type of terrestrial planet that form in carbon rich (acd oxygen poor) protoplanetary disks. The core would be iron rich and surrounded by silicon carbide and titanium carbide. The mantle would be mainly made of graphite and multi-kilometer thick layer of diamond (if there is sufficient pressure.[1] The surface would be abundant in hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide.
Carbon planets are predicted to be of similar diameter to silicate and water planets of the same mass, potentially making them difficult to distinguish.[2]