Waterworld confirmed

[Slim]

Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a new class of planet: a waterworld with a thick, steamy atmosphere.

The exoplanet GJ 1214b is a so-called "Super Earth" - bigger than our planet, but smaller than gas giants such as Jupiter.

Observations using the Hubble telescope now seem to confirm that a large fraction of its mass is water.

The planet's high temperatures suggest exotic materials might exist there.

"GJ 1214b is like no planet we know of," said lead author Zachory Berta, from the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

The planet was discovered in 2009 by ground-based telescopes. It is about 2.7 times the Earth's diameter, but weighs almost seven times as much. It orbits its red-dwarf star at a distance of just two million km, meaning temperatures on GJ 1214b probably reach above 200C.

In 2010, astronomers released measurements of its atmosphere. These suggested that GJ 1214b's atmosphere was probably made up of water, but there was another possibility - that the planet was covered in a haze, of the type that envelopes Saturn's moon Titan.

Hot ice

Mr Berta and his colleagues used the Hubble Space Telescope's wide-field camera to study the planet as it crossed in front of its star - a transit. During these transits, the star's light is filtered through the planet's atmosphere, giving clues to the mixture of gases present.

The researchers said their results are more consistent with a dense atmosphere of water vapour, than one with a haze.

Calculations of the planet's density also suggest that GJ 1214b has more water than Earth. This means the internal structure of this world would be very different to that of our own.

"The high temperatures and pressures would form exotic materials like 'hot ice' or 'superfluid water', substances that are completely alien to our everyday experience," said Dr Berta.

The planet's short distance from Earth makes it a likely candidate for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, which may launch by the end of this decade.

The study has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal

BBC News - Distant 'waterworld' is confirmed

[Bluey]

Hope it's more interesting than Kevin Costner's Waterworld.

[Double Kick Drum]

Hope it's more interesting than Kevin Costner's Waterworld.

Watching paint dry is more interesting than KC in waterworld.

[rory]

i quite liked waterworld ! ..... i'll get me coat .

[RIR]

i quite liked waterworld ! ..... i'll get me coat .

So did I.........

[Bluey]

i quite liked waterworld ! ..... i'll get me coat .

I'll open the door for you

[182570]

I'll open the door for you

and i'lock it after you.

[paul schofield]

I thought Waterworld was as interesting as listening to paint dry. Ha it wouldn't do for us all to like the same things.

[lukebl]

I like Waterworld too! KC wasn't that bad. Dennis Hopper was good at being his psycho self.

But going back to the original post, it doesn't sound like this planet is a very nice place, skimming close around the parent star, with a superheated boiling atmosphere. Interesting, though. I feel the next few years will produce some very interesting discoveries in the field of extrasolar planets.

[RobH]

Another vote for Waterworld here

[Psychobilly]

And another...

[Tinker1947]

Be a nice place to make a cuppa, all that boiling water...

[Nillchill]

AHHHHH .............. Planet Tetley!!!

[Sam]

I didn't mind Waterworld either.

[LukeSkywatcher]

I like Waterworld too! KC wasn't that bad. Dennis Hopper was good at being his psycho self.

But going back to the original post, it doesn't sound like this planet is a very nice place, skimming close around the parent star, with a superheated boiling atmosphere. Interesting, though. I feel the next few years will produce some very interesting discoveries in the field of extrasolar planets.

Even here on Earth we know life exists in and around superheated water. This could be a very interesting discovery if they ever get around to searching it for signs of life.

[Jon Sales]

Watching paint dry is more interesting than KC in waterworld.

I do that for a living because i'm a decorator

And your right, it is more interesting lol

[Asur84]

It sounds like the likeliest candidate to support life that I've come across.

[LukeSkywatcher]

Nasa is always harping on about "where we find water we are more likely to find life".

This is the one.

I still argue this point though because not ALL life may need water to exist.

All they know is that water is needed for life on this planet and is carbon based. So they look for similar.

How many elements exist on the periodic table?.

Surely life can spring from any one of those elements.

But back on topic......................this is a "waterworld" and the pospects of live existing on it (in any shape or form) are exciting.

The fact that it is a planet ofsuper heated water means that any life on it will be microbial (from our experience here on earth), but that STILL counts as life on another planet.

[Lancashire Astroguy]

All they know is that water is needed for life on this planet and is carbon based. So they look for similar.

How many elements exist on the periodic table?.

Surely life can spring from any one of those elements.

I think the astrobiologists have looked at all the other elements, and though some (like Silicon) can form chains, none can form the long stable chains of Carbon required as the basis of DNA and protein molecules.

If Carbon-based life is the only possibility, then water is the solvent in which Carbon-based biochemistry occurs.

[661-pete]

If its surface temperature is 200C I don't see how it can be a waterworld. Steamworld, maybe. No - wait! Atmospheric pressure of 100 atmospheres or more, would do it. Venus-like, maybe.

A propos ... Kevin Costner swimming around in WW is cool - just spare me C S Lewis's waterworld version of Venus (Perelandra). Complete with garden of Eden floating on top of it, and ready-made Adam'n'Eve and all! Aaarrrrggghhh!!

Thankfully we've sussed out Venus a bit better, than when that guff was written around 1940.