Scientists discover new class of magma ocean liquid planets using James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

Key facts

• Scientists have identified a new category of exoplanets known as magma ocean worlds, which exist in a permanent molten state.
• The discovery, detailed in the journal Nature Astronomy, was made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
• The primary example of this new class is L 98-59 d, located approximately 35 light-years away from Earth.
• L 98-59 d has a radius approximately 1.63 times larger and a mass 1.64 times that of Earth.
• The planet's surface temperature reaches approximately 1,900°C, and it is enveloped in a thick atmosphere rich in hydrogen sulfide.
• The molten state is maintained by a runaway greenhouse effect and tidal heating caused by the gravitational pull of neighbouring planets.
• The planet orbits a small red star and features a mantle composed of molten silicate with a likely molten core.