Weird Happenings in Alien Oceans - Astronomy News with The Cosmic Companion

Studying the bottoms of alien oceans without ever leaving home.

Exoplanets rich with water appear to be common around other stars. A new study examines conditions at the bottom of these massive seas on other worlds.

By James Maynard

Water worlds around other stars could be home to some unusual chemistry, a new study reveals. Here, a massive water world, the size of Neptune, with 10 times as much water as Earth, orbits in the habitable zone of a young red dwarf. Image credit: Simulation by The Cosmic Companion/Created in Universe Sandbox

Alien oceans may be common throughout the Universe, but little is known about conditions deep underwater on massive worlds orbiting alien stars. A new study recreated these extreme conditions, with surprising results.

Neptune, at the edge of our own Solar System, is a perfect example of a massive, water-rich world. Astronomers believe such planets, where layers of water hundreds or thousands of miles deep surround rocky cores, are common around other stars.

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