Ocean planet

An ocean planet (also called Water world) is a hypothetical planet shape whose surface is completely covered with water.

Survey

Planets that form in the outer regions of a protoplanetary disk of dust should be regularly consist of about 50 % water and 50 % of silicates and comets similar to the so-called dirty Eisbällen same. Simulations show that such planets migrate under certain circumstances in the direction of their star and melt there; thus would ice planet to water planet. The possibility of such planet was introduced to the astronomical and scientific discussion by academic work of Marc Kuchner and Alain Léger.

Properties

The oceans on such planets could be several hundred kilometers deep and thus significantly lower than those that exist on Earth. The high pressure at the bottom of such oceans could lead to the formation of a shell of exotic forms of ice, this ice would not have to necessarily be cold. To such a planet Befände sufficiently close to its sun, the water could be critical to him and do not form well -defined surface more. The atmosphere such as on the ocean planetary cooler should be much thicker than that on the ground and cause a very strong greenhouse climate. Ocean planet could harbor life.

The exoplanet GJ 1214 b is the most likely known candidate for an ocean planet. Observations by the Hubble telescope have shown that the atmosphere of GJ 1214 b may be composed primarily of water vapor. It is assumed for this and other reasons, that the planet itself consists largely of water. The recent discovery of many other objects of this type by the Kepler space telescope is expected. So this has discovered five planets in the star system Kepler -62 on April 18, 2013. In two of them, e and f, it could be either ocean planet.

Ocean planets in fiction

Even in science fiction motif of the ocean planet is being taken. To appear in the Star Wars universe Manaan, Mon Calamari and Kamino. Here, however, must be noted that this is not pure ocean planet. So Manaan and Mon Calamari are described with a few land masses. Kamino is the time of action namely an ocean planet, but had in historical times the land masses which sank by a global melting ice in the sea.

In the Star Trek series Star Trek: Voyager, the eponymous ship at the so-called Moneanischen underwater world comes along, which is an ocean planet in principle. However, it turns out that it was artificially created by the water of a planet was sucked into space where it is formed into a sphere by means of a gravity generator.