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Illustration of a gas planet

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Is there a deep sea of ​​liquid water surrounding the planet?

And could it possibly be habitable?

A celestial body in a distant solar system is causing a stir among astronomers.

The planet, called TOI-270 d, is about twice the diameter of Earth and lies about 70 light-years away.

Measurements from the James Webb space telescope indicate water vapor, methane and carbon dioxide in its atmosphere.

It could be a so-called Hyceenic world with an ocean under a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, write astrophysicists led by Nikku Madhusudhan from the University of Cambridge in a specialist article.

Hot as hell

However, it wouldn't be as comfortable on the planet as it is on Earth.

"The ocean could have a temperature of 100 degrees Celsius or more," Madhusudhan told the Guardian.

At high atmospheric pressure, such a hot ocean could still be liquid.

The planet always faces the same side of its sun.

“Livable conditions could exist on the night side,” said the scientist.

The researchers also draw evidence of an ocean from the fact that they found no ammonia in the planet's atmosphere.

This substance should occur naturally in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere.

However, if a planet has an ocean, the water-soluble ammonia could evaporate from the atmosphere.

Liquid water is considered an important prerequisite for life on other planets.

Other researchers, however, doubt that there is much liquid water on TOI-270 d.

Astronomer Björn Benneke from the University of Montreal also evaluated the telescope data.

"We think the temperature is too warm for water to be liquid," he said.

Temperatures of up to 4000 degrees Celsius could prevail on the surface.

Water can only exist there in a special state – as a “thick, hot liquid”.

TOI-270 d is a mini Neptune.

These are gas planets that are smaller than Neptune but larger than Earth.

They are among the most common exoplanets found so far in other solar systems.

Already in 2021, Madhusudhan wrote in a scientific article that some of these planets could host large oceans.

According to the researcher, microbial life could potentially form in them despite the extreme conditions.

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