Super-Earths Might Share More Similarities to Our Earth

Researchers have found out in a study that more super-earth are in the cosmos, and they are just like our planet Earth too.

According to two scientists, these massive terrestrial planets might be more common in the Milky Way Galaxy. Earth-like worlds that were considered needed in a wide cosmos are actually more plentiful, reported Scitech Daily.

The scientists, Nicolas B. Cowan and Dorian Abbot have a new model that is unlike current models that predict the existence of hyper earths. Earth has oceans and lots of water which might cover the whole of it. Such worlds are actively tectonic and can be regarded as a massive water-world. These super active Earth-like planets also have a climate to support life, mentioned Northwester Now.

Cowan has a postdoctoral from Northwestern's Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics (CIERA), while Abbot is an assistant professor in geophysical sciences at the University of Chicago.

Will these Super-Earths be drenched in water or dry as a desert?

It was the question tackled according to Cowan, to know if it were a wet or dried world to get the answers using principles of geophysics and astronomy are applied.

He added an assumption that deep oceans should overflow into the surface to cover the entire planet in a sheet of water. But it might be mistaken because most terrestrial planets will have water, deep in the mantle. So, it might be safe to assume that most super Earth's will be a shallow ocean which includes shallow ocean basins as well.

The planetary model that is proposed by Cowan and Abbot explores the possibility of an exoplanet like the Earth. These massive worlds will possess more water in its mantle which is the hard and rocky shell. All the water in the mantle will pool as a deep-water cycle that circulates between its ocean and mantle.

Also read: White Dwarfs Might Be the Place to Find Alien Life

All findings in the study were presented to others at the American Astronomical Society (AAS).

How the deep-water cycle works

Under the mantel there will be water moving here and there, transferring from the ocean and mantle. This is possible with plate tectonics which enables the back and forth transfers. One of the mechanisms is the control enabled by seafloor pressure, adding a proportionality to gravity, cited Science Daily.

One difference to other models is the seafloor movement and gravity as new factors in their model. If the super-Earth is bigger and so will the pressure and gravity effectively increase.

If a super-Earth has more water, it will still look like Earth. But once anyone or anything enters the watery part then expect monstrous pressure that pushed it under the mantle.

According to the scientist, the Earth can become a water world easily. Just make water at 1 % per mass, and the Earth will be totally inundated, said Cowan. Changing 1% percent of water mass and everyone is swimming. Forget about the deep-water cycle because it will be working in one one-thousandth of one ten-thousandth water only.

One of the factors needed for super-Earths to have a climate is exposed landmasses, without it then it will be different. Exposed continents enable deep carbon cycles with surface temperatures to get balancing feedback, confirmed Earth Sky.

So, the water world has a smaller habitat but have more exposed landmass to get a pretty Earth-like world.

Cowan and Abbot say there are some lose ends, but their Super-Earths model will improve with more data.