An ocean planet (also termed a waterworld) is a hypothetical type of planet whose surface is completely covered with an ocean of water.
Planetary objects that form in the outer solar system begin as a comet-like mixture of roughly 50% water and 50% rock by mass. Simulations of solar system formation have shown that planets are likely to migrate inward or outward as they form, presenting the possibility that icy planets could move to orbits where ...
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An ocean planet (also termed a waterworld) is a hypothetical type of planet whose surface is completely covered with an ocean of water.
Planetary objects that form in the outer solar system begin as a comet-like mixture of roughly 50% water and 50% rock by mass. Simulations of solar system formation have shown that planets are likely to migrate inward or outward as they form, presenting the possibility that icy planets could move to orbits where their ice melts into liquid form, turning them into ocean planets. This possibility was first discussed in the professional astronomical literature by Marc Kuchner and Alain Léger in 2003. Such planets could therefore theoretically support life.
The oceans on such planets would be hundreds of kilometers deep, much deeper than the oceans of Earth. The immense pressures in the lower regions of these oceans could lead to the formation of a mantle of exotic forms of ice. This ice would not necessarily be as cold as conventional ice. If the planet...
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