Which are more common, rocky or gaseous bodies? ?

Question

Which are more common, rocky or gaseous bodies? ?

Answer 1

In relationship to gas giants, stars and nebulaes versus rocky planets, meteors, comets, ect. I would have to say rocky would be the most common but gaseous would account for nearly all matter in the universe.  

Why did someone give RickB a thumbs down?  He is exactly right!!!

Answer 2

Gaseous!

Answer 3

I believe that the "gaseous" bodies are more common than "rocky" and I feel that is because gaseous bodies are easier to form, due to the fact that there is more gas than actual rock within the Universe.  

Answer 4

Gaseous.

Hydrogen is by far the most abundant element in the universe.

So it makes sense that most things in space ar made of hydrogen - which tends to be gas.

Answer 5

My guess is rocky. Example: if most visable stars are gaseous suns and suns form solar systems, then you use our solar system as an example 1 sun 9 planets (yes I still think Pluto is a planet) then you have a 1:9 ratio multiplied trillions of times.  Also if you count meteors and moons, that blows the scale.

Answer 6

I'm interpreting your question as meaning, "are there more rocky bodies or more gaseous" bodies?

In that case, the answer is definitely "rocky."

Take our own solar system, for example.  It's certainly true that more than 99% of the total _mass_ of the solar system consists of gaseous bodies.  However, by _count_, there are only 5 gaseous bodies in the solar system, as compared to trillions of rocky bodies (counting asteroids, comets, moons, etc. as well as the rocky planets).  The same pattern is probably true for most of the solar systems in the universe.

Answer 7

Depends what you had for dinner  

Answer 8

So far the evidence points to gaseous.

Answer 9

Its hard to say since we only have one good example of a solar system.  In  the extra-solar systems we've studied, the method of detection is based on finding very large gaseous planets, so that skews the sample.  The area which rocky planets inhabit, close to the sun, is much smaller than the area that the gas giants inhabit, so the giants have a larger area in which to form.  Of course they sweep larger areas.  The terrestrial planets, being closer to the sun are probably less likely to form since most material in that area is swallowed into the sun by its immensely greater gravity.  I will guess the gas giants are more common, but I have nothing to base this on.  In our solar system it's a tie.