In a new analysis, NASA has revealed that 17 discovered exoplanets could house subsurface oceans buried below thick sheets of ice. These worlds, much like the icy moons of Jupiter, could therefore be promising places to search for biosignatures — chemical signs of life
According to a NASA study, 17 exoplanets could have liquid water oceans beneath icy shells. These worlds could be promising places to search for biosignatures, or chemical signs of life.
The water from these oceans could occasionally erupt through the ice crust as geysers. These cryovolcanic plumes would be similar to those on Enceladus and Europa.
These worlds are similar to the icy moons of Jupiter and could be promising places to search for biosignatures
In 2022, astronomers announced that two exoplanets, Kepler-138c and Kepler-138d, are likely made mostly of water. These planets are about one and a half times the size of Earth and orbit a red dwarf star 218 light-years away in the constellation Lyra
Most known exoplanets are gaseous, similar to the giant planets in our solar system. However, some smaller exoplanets show signs of rockier, terrestrial compositions.
Using data from NASA’s Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, astronomers found evidence that two exoplanets orbiting a star 218 light-years away are “water worlds,” where water makes up a large fraction of the entire planet
According to a NASA study, 17 exoplanets could have oceans of liquid water beneath their icy shells. The study’s lead author is Dr. Lynnae Quick of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
The study suggests that water from these oceans could occasionally erupt through the ice crust as geysers. This internal heating could also result in cryovolcanic eruptions, akin to geysers.
The study indicates that these distant worlds have the potential for liquid water, a fundamental ingredient for life, shielded under layers of ice.
The study also says that these icy worlds may also have the right orbits and dynamics to maintain an ocean of liquid water beneath an icy outer crust. And like Enceladus and Europa, they may also spew enough water into space for humans to search them for signs of life.
Proxima Centauri b is the closest known exoplanet to Earth, located about 4.2 light-years away. It orbits its host star every 11.186 Earth days, which is more than 20 times closer than Earth’s orbit around the sun
Scientists believe that Proxima b is rocky and terrestrial, similar to Earth, and could have liquid water. However, Proxima b orbits a star that is much dimmer and less massive than the sun.
Other exoplanets that have been described as candidate ocean worlds include:
- GJ 1214 b
- Kepler-22b
- Kepler-62e
- Kepler-62f
- The planets of Kepler-11 and TRAPPIST-1
According to NASA, 17 icy worlds outside of our solar system may have the right conditions to maintain a liquid water ocean beneath an icy crust.
Tidal forces and radioactive decay can provide the heat needed to keep the ocean from freezing. For example, Europa is made of rock and iron, with a water shell about 100 kilometers deep. The ocean is kept liquid by heat from Jupiter’s gravitational pull.
Over the past 20 years, scientists have discovered that many icy moons orbiting the outer planets in our solar system may have global oceans. Some of these moons include Europa, Ganymede, Callisto, Titan, and Enceladus.
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