Chthonian planet

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A Chthonian planet (sometimes misspelled Cthonian), is a hypothetical class of celestial objects resulting from the stripping away of a gas giant's hydrogen and helium atmosphere. Such atmospheric stripping is a likely result of close proximity to a star. The remaining rocky or metallic core would resemble a terrestrial planet in many respects.

HD 209458b (Osiris) is an example of a planet that is in the process of having its atmosphere stripped away, though it is not itself a Chthonian planet nor is it expected to become one in the near future. No known Chthonian planets have yet been discovered.

Chthonia means "of the Earth" in Greek. The term was coined by Hébrard et al, since the term Chthonian generally refer to Greek deities from hot infernal underground. There are at least three different Chthonians in Greek mythology, and they are all closely associated with the goddess Demeter.

See also

• Hot Jupiter
• Hypothetical planet

References

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Last updated on Sunday July 13, 2008 at 14:27:51 PDT (GMT -0700)
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