35 Light-Years Away, Scientists Find a Planet Covered in a Magma Ocean—Temperatures Hit 1,500°C.

Discovery of Exoplanet L 98-59 d

According to TSN.ua: A team of astronomers from the University of Oxford has identified an exoplanet named L 98-59 d, featuring a magma ocean and surface temperatures reaching up to 1,500°C, challenging current planetary classification systems. This finding marks a significant advancement in the study of exoplanets and their diverse characteristics.

Located roughly 35 light-years from Earth, L 98-59 d is about 1.6 times the size of our planet and is estimated to be around five billion years old, indicating its long-term presence in space.

“Hydrogen sulfide gas, responsible for the smell of rotten eggs, appears to play a major role there.”

Dr. Richard Chatterjee

This points to the unique nature of L 98-59 d’s atmosphere. Describing this scorching world, Dr. Harrison Nicholls remarked: “This molten planet is unlikely to support life, but it vividly showcases the incredible diversity of the universe.” Studying such exoplanets helps scientists broaden their understanding of the variety of cosmic worlds and their unusual properties.

The discovery of L 98-59 d could represent a key step in exploring the past and searching for new worlds that may exist within our galaxy.

Significance of the Research

The findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy, underscoring the importance of this discovery for the astronomical community. Research on exoplanets like L 98-59 d opens up new frontiers in astronomy and may reshape our understanding of the potential for life elsewhere in the universe.

The identification of exoplanet L 98-59 d highlights the wide range of conditions that can exist on planets beyond our solar system and raises fresh questions about how they should be categorized. This discovery is likely to spur further investigations into exoplanets with extreme features, offering new possibilities in the search for life in space.