New research finds Earth-sized planets need a large fraction of Earth’s ocean water to keep a geologic carbon cycle and maintain surface water. Dry, desert-like worlds in the habitable zone may become too hot for life.
Photo by NASA, Unsplash
A team found rare signs that two planets collided around a distant star named Gaia20ehk. Rocks and hot dust blocked visible light while infrared light rose, and researchers say the debris likely came from a catastrophic planetary impact.
Reanalysis of Cassini data suggests Titan has a thick, slushy layer with tunnels and pockets of meltwater near a rocky core rather than a single deep ocean. The result could change ideas about habitability and will be testable by the Dragonfly mission.
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