Explain the concept of Kelvin-Helmoholtz Mechanism as it relates to some planets in the solar system
Answers
Answer:
The Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism is an astronomical process that occurs when the surface of a star or a planet cools. The cooling causes the internal pressure to drop, and the star or planet shrinks as a result. This compression, in turn, heats the core of the star/planet.
Answer:
The Kelvin–Helmholtz mechanism is an astronomical process that occurs when the surface of a star or a planet cools. The cooling causes the internal pressure to drop, and the star or planet shrinks as a result. This compression, in turn, heats the core of the star/planet. This mechanism is evident on Jupiter and Saturn and on brown dwarfs whose central temperatures are not high enough to undergo hydrogen fusion. It is estimated that Jupiter radiates more energy through this mechanism than it receives from the Sun, but Saturn might not. The latter process causes Jupiter to shrink at a rate of two centimetres each year.[1] Nevertheless in the second edition of his book in 2009, Patrick Irwin gives a shrinking of only 1 mm/year, a value corresponding to an internal flux of 7.485 W/m2 (a figure given by Liming Li et al.[2]), instead of 150 W/m2, corresponding to 2 cm/year, a clearly too high value.