. 24/7 Space News .
EXO WORLDS
Liquifying a rocky exoplanet
by Staff Writers
Bern, Switzerland (SPX) Oct 10, 2019

Artist's impression of the interior of a hot, molten rocky planet.

Rocky exoplanets that are around Earth-size are comparatively small, which makes them incredibly difficult to detect and characterise using telescopes. What are the optimal conditions to find such small planets that linger in the darkness? "A rocky planet that is hot, molten, and possibly harboring a large outgassed atmosphere ticks all the boxes," says Dan Bower, astrophysicist at the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) of the University of Bern. Such a planet could be more easily seen by telescopes due to strong outgoing radiation than its solid counterpart.

The SNSF Ambizione and CSH Fellow continues: "Granted, you wouldn't want to vacation on one of these planets, but they are important to study since many if not all rocky planets begin their life as molten blobs, yet eventually some may become habitable like Earth.

Rocky planets are built from the leftovers of the leftovers. "Everything that doesn't make its way into the central star or a giant planet has the potential to end up forming a much smaller terrestrial planet," says Bower: "We have reason to believe that processes occurring during the baby years of a planet's life are fundamental in determining its life path." Therefore, Bower and a team of post-docs - dominantly from within the PlanetS network - were intrigued to uncover the observable nature of such a planet. Their study is now published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

It shows that a molten Earth would actually be around 5% larger in radius than a solid Earth, and this is due to the difference in the behavior of molten versus solid materials at the extreme conditions of a planetary interior. "In essence, a molten silicate occupies more volume than its equivalent solid, and this increases the size of the planet," Bower explains.

A difference that CHEOPS can detect
In the characterization of exoplanets outside our solar system and the search for potentially habitable worlds, researchers at the University of Bern are among the world leaders. Although detection of a rocky planet around a bright Sun-like star will remain beyond reach at least until the launch of the PLATO space mission in 2026, Earth-size planets around cooler and smaller stars such as the red dwarfs Trappist-1 or Proxima b are now set to take center stage.

Interestingly, 5% difference in planetary radii can be measured with current and future observational facilities, notably the space telescope CHEOPS which was developed and assembled in Bern and will launch later this year.

Indeed, the latest exoplanet data already provides an inkling that low mass molten planets, sustained by intense star-light, are present in the exoplanet catalogue. Some exoplanets could therefore be Earth-like in terms of similar building blocks, yet have different amounts of solid and molten rock to explain observed variations in planet size. "They do not necessarily need to be made of exotic light materials to explain the data," says Bower.

However, even a totally molten planet may not be able to explain the observation of the most extreme low density planets. But on this the research team also has a proposition: Molten planets early in their history can outgas large atmospheres of volatile species that were originally trapped inside the magma in the interior of the planet. This could explain an additional decrease in the observed planetary density. The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) should be able to distinguish such an outgassed atmosphere on a planet around a cool red dwarf if it is dominated by either water or carbon dioxide.

In addition to the consequences for observations, Bower, with his roots as an Earth Scientist, sees his study in a broader context: "Clearly, we can never observe our own Earth in its .history when it was also hot and molten. But interestingly, exoplanetary science is opening the door for observations of early Earth and early Venus analogues that could greatly impact our understanding of Earth and the Solar System planets. Thinking about Earth in the context of exoplanets, and vice-versa, offers new opportunities for understanding planets both within and beyond the Solar System."

Research Report: Linking the evolution of terrestrial interiors and an early outgassed atmosphere to astrophysical observations


Related Links
University of Bern
Lands Beyond Beyond - extra solar planets - news and science
Life Beyond Earth


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


EXO WORLDS
A planet that should not exist
Berm, Switzerland (SPX) Sep 27, 2019
Astronomers detected a giant planet orbiting a small star. The planet has much more mass than theoretical models predict. While this surprising discovery was made by a Spanish-German team at an observatory in southern Spain, researchers at the University of Bern studied how the mysterious exoplanet might have formed. The red dwarf GJ 3512 is located 30 light-years from us. Although the star is only about a tenth of the mass of the Sun, it possesses a giant planet - an unexpected observation. ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

EXO WORLDS
Russia bestows medal on US astronaut in failed launch

Astronauts will spend much of October outside the space station

Deep space exploration isn't a far-fetched possibility

Raytheon to help Jet Propulsion Lab explore the universe

EXO WORLDS
Virgin Orbit selects RAF pilot as it plans satellite launch program

Jet taking off from Florida will launch NASA weather satellite

Sea Launch platform stripped of foreign equipment, ready to leave US for Russia

SwRI hypersonic research spotlights future flight challenges

EXO WORLDS
Curiosity findings suggest Mars once featured dozens of shallow briny ponds

NASA's Mars 2020 rover tests descent-stage separation

NASA's Curiosity Rover finds an ancient oasis on Mars

UK eases sanctions on Moscow to allow activities related to joint space mission to Mars

EXO WORLDS
China's KZ-1A rocket launches two satellites

China's newly launched communication satellite suffers abnormality

China launches first private rocket capable of carrying satellites

Chinese scientists say goodbye to Tiangong-2

EXO WORLDS
Competition to find business ideas that are out of this world

UK space skills support sustainable development

Talking space with the next generation in Europe

Playmobil go above and beyond with ESA's Luca Parmitano

EXO WORLDS
SwRI, international team use deep learning to create virtual 'super instrument'

How do the strongest magnets in the universe form?

When debris overwhelms space exploitation

A filament fit for space - silk is proven to thrive in outer space temperatures

EXO WORLDS
Scientists observe formation of individual viruses, a first

Liquifying a rocky exoplanet

Were hot, humid summers the key to life's origins?

A planet that should not exist

EXO WORLDS
NASA's Juno prepares to jump Jupiter's shadow

Huge Volcano on Jupiter's Moon Io Erupts on Regular Schedule

Stony-iron meteoroid caused August impact flash at Jupiter

Storms on Jupiter are disturbing the planet's colorful belts









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.