Scientists Say Planets That Have Water Don’t Have to Be Similar to Earth

Earth-like conditions are not necessary for the long-term existence of liquid water.

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA — Water is absolutely necessary for life on Earth. When scientists think about life outside our solar system, scientists usually imagine planet a water-rich exoplanet similar to our own aquatic world.

A potentially habitable world is suggested by an exoplanet that resembles Earth in terms of atmosphere, distance from stars, mass, etc. However, experts confirmed in late June 2022 that Earth-like conditions are not necessary for the long-term existence of liquid water.

Exoplanets may not even be located close to the star and could be much larger. Researchers from the Universities of Bern, Zurich, and the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) suggest that some planets outside our solar system, such as exoplanets, may be able to support liquid water for billions of years.

Reported from Earth Sky, this study concentrates on super-Earth planets with thick primordial atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. A hydrogen-helium atmosphere was also present on Earth shortly after it formed, billions of years ago.

On June 27, 2022, scientists published findings peer-review they’re in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Liveable water world

Astronomers have concentrated on finding rocky planets similar to Earth since the search for exoplanets began decades ago, possibly worlds with lakes and oceans.

Those would be the planets most likely to support life, as logic would seem to suggest. However, recent findings suggest that oceans and possibly life exist on a world that is significantly different from Earth in many ways.