The Role Of Interior Dynamics and Differentiation on the Surface and Atmosphere of Lava Planets - Astrobiology

Guest post: does atmospheric chemistry suggest there’s life on another planet?

Today we have a guest post from reader Coel Heller, who does this kind of stuff for a living. His text deals with the recent kerfuffle about whether a nearby planet shows an atmospheric gas indicative of life.  I particularly like the details about how scientists go about analyzing a question like this. His text is indented, and he’s added the illustrations. Is the dimethyl sulphide in the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18b real? Everyone is interes…

The Role Of Interior Dynamics and Differentiation on the Surface and Atmosphere of Lava Planets - Astrobiology

Lava planets are rocky exoplanets that orbit so close to their host star that their day-side is hot enough to melt silicate rock. Their short orbital periods ensure that lava planets are tidally locked into synchronous rotation, with permanent day and night hemispheres. Such asymmetric magma oceans have no analogs in the Solar System and […] The post The Role Of Interior Dynamics and Differentiation on the Surface and Atmosphere of Lava Planets …