Scientists have suggested that piss worlds might be fairly rough-cut elsewhere in the universe , raising the prospects of finding life .
In a public lecture award at the Goldschmidt conference in Boston last week , research worker suggested that planets two to four time the sizing of Earth could contain as much as 50 percent water . For equivalence , Earth ’s urine content is just 0.02 per centum of its weight .
" It was a vast surprisal to realize that there must be so many water - worlds " , say lead researcher Dr Li Zeng from Harvard University in astatement . “ Our data suggest that about 35 % of all known exoplanets which are bigger than Earth should be water - copious . ”
In their research , the scientists used data from NASA ’s Kepler telescope and ESA ’s Gaia telescope . They found that of the4,000 exoplanetsfound so far , most were about 1.5 or 2.5 time the radius of Earth .
Developing a model on the social structure of these planets , the researchers find that the smaller ones were likely to be rocky , with up to five times the flock of Earth . But the bombastic ones , with masses 10 times that of Earth , are credibly water worlds .
However , there was a caution . Many of these worlds might have highly red-hot surface temperatures of about 200 to 500 ° C ( 390 to 930 ° F ) . So it ’s thought the planet could be covered in water vaporisation atmospheres , with a limpid body of water layer lower down .
“ These water worlds in all probability formed in similar ways to the gargantuan planet nucleus ( Jupiter , Saturn , Uranus , Neptune ) which we incur in our own Solar System , ” said Dr Li Zeng .
It ’s trust that a freshly launched NASA deputation , the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite ( TESS ) , could help find even more of these worlds . It is have a bun in the oven to find about20,000 exoplanetsover the course of study of its mission , ranging from Earth - sized to hot gas giants .
The next step in exoplanet inquiry will be to start studying some of the atmospheres of these planets in detail . Scientists are hoping to use NASA ’s delay James Webb Space Telescope ( JWST ) , and work out if other planets do indeed arrest a draw of H2O .
And that ’s important , because where we see water on Earth , we find life . If we can regain other reeking places too , then it raise the prospect of finding habitable locations beyond the Solar System .
“ spirit could break in certain dear - surface bed on these water reality , if the pressures , temperatures and chemical conditions are appropriate , ” said Dr Li Zeng , reportedNew Scientist . The only issue now is , can you ever havetoo much waterfor life ?
