Earth-Like Exoplanets May Be More Common Than Previously Thought

Artist’s impression of the molten surface of a young planet reacting with its atmosphere to form water vapor. Credit: Tadahiro Kimura

A day at the beach for life on other planets.

According to new simulations, fully Earth-like exoplanets with oceans and continents, as well as beaches along their boundaries, may be significantly more common around red dwarfs than previously thought. This indicates that by the end of the decade, current and future University of Tokyo and Masahiro Ikoma from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan provide a sunnier view. By taking into consideration water produced from interactions between the still-molten surface of a young planet and its primordial atmosphere, the team found that a wide range in final water content is expected.

And within that range, several percent of roughly-Earth-sized planets in habitable zones should have appropriate amounts of water for a temperate climate. This is a high enough percentage that ongoing and future exoplanet survey missions like DOI:…

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