A new study, led by UCLA scientists, of how water forms on young exoplanets with atmospheres of hydrogen and molten oceans of magma suggests that planets like Earth were once thought to be It may not be as rare, suggesting that the presence of water on such planets may be almost unavoidable.
One of the historically annoying things about trying to figure out how many Earth-like planets there are in our galaxy is that there’s only one real-life example of an Earth-like planet that you’re standing on. That’s it.
Scientists are very keen to find Earth-like planets outside our solar system because a total sample size of just one is statistically meaningless. At the very least, we hope to find planets from which we can draw meaningful conclusions, giving insight into the mechanisms that form such planets. .
One of the key features that makes the Earth stand out is the presence of large amounts of liquid water on its surface. This is a necessary element for the existence of life. Current hypotheses about how Earth got its water mainly revolve around being carried to protoplanets by comets, meteors, or cosmic dust. This is a mechanism that requires very specific circumstances, suggesting that water-like planets like Earth may be very rare.
A new study from UCLA, conducted in collaboration with the Carnegie Institute for Science, shows that watery exoplanets may not be as rare as previously thought. In fact, they could be a dozen cosmic dime.
This conclusion is based on data on a rocky super-Earth orbiting a highly abundant red dwarf. Using this information, the team developed a mathematical model of how young planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres and oceans of magma exchange matter in terms of specific compounds and reactions.
A team led by UCLA professor Ed Young found that hydrogen dissolves in liquid hot magma, where it interacts with oxygen to produce water. These conditions are thought to be common on exoplanets like Earth, so it means that water on them is also common. This process also opens up the possibility that most water on Earth was handcrafted.
According to UCLA, the next phase of the study will look more closely at the exoplanet’s atmosphere to refine the model.
“History shows that the more we learn about ourselves, the more we look like a typical Earth.” may change our approach to how future research is conducted, leading to even more surprising discoveries.”
This research Nature.
Source: UCLA
