Planets May Really “Home Brew” Their Own Water
Scientists normally expect planets to get water from comets or ice. However, new experiments show a different path. Some planets may actually produce water internally.
In the lab, researchers took a common rock mineral called olivine. Then they exposed it to hydrogen and extreme pressure. The hydrogen pulled oxygen from the rock. As a result, the reaction formed water.
What That Means for Rocky Worlds
This process helps explain why some exoplanets orbiting close to their stars still seem water-rich. In addition, it may offer clues about our own planet’s early water.
Instead of needing to drift in from far-out ice zones, planets might generate water internally. Therefore we might rethink how “wet” worlds form.
Ocean Worlds and “Hycean” Planets
Scientists estimate that on these worlds the water object could account for 5% to 28% of the planet’s mass.
Such planets might appear as massive ocean worlds or as “hycean” planets with hydrogen-rich atmospheres on top of deep seas.
Why This Matters for Life Elsewhere
If water arises internally, more planets could host oceans than we previously thought. That broadens the search for habitable worlds. In addition, the findings may shift our ideas about where life could exist.
Clearly, the story of water on planets is more dynamic than we realised. The idea that planets might “brew” their own water alters our view of planet formation. It invites us to explore the unexpected.
