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[JORMBO]

If you thought living on Earth in 2020 was comparable to hell, planet K2-141b is here to prove you wrong.

On the scorching hot planet, hundreds of light-years away, oceans are made of molten lava, winds reach supersonic speeds and rain is made of rocks. Scientists have referred to the bizarre, hellish exoplanet as one of the most "extreme" ever discovered.

According to a new study published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, scientists from McGill University, York University and the Indian Institute of Science Education have uncovered details of one of the newest "lava planets" — a world that so closely orbits its host star that much of it is composed of flowing lava oceans.

While analyzing the planet's illumination pattern, scientists found that about two-thirds of the planet experiences perpetual daylight. K2-141b's close proximity to its star gravitationally locks it in place — meaning the same side always faces the star.

This scorching hot part of the planet reaches temperatures of over 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit. It's hot enough to not only melt rocks, but also vaporize them, creating a thin, inhospitable atmosphere.

The rest of the planet is cloaked in never-ending darkness, reaching frigid temperatures of negative 328 degrees Fahrenheit.

In Earth's water cycle, water evaporates, rises up into the atmosphere, condenses, and returns to the surface as rain. Now imagine that process, but instead of water, K2-141b only has rocks to work with.

The sodium, silicon monoxide, and silicon dioxide on K2-141b evaporate into mineral vapor, which is carried to the dark side of the planet by supersonic winds that rage over 3,100 miles per hour. From there, rocks "rain" back down into the 60-mile-deep magma ocean, which flows to the bright side to restart the cycle.

 

[Dr Bass]

So it's Mustafar?

 

[BigBooper]

I would like it to be real though.

 

[jason10mm]

I don't know why I bother to read threads like this. I come in expecting hubble sat photos and cool shit and it's just conjecture of some dot around another dot light years away

 

[bender]

There are far worse planets in the universe.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

 

[Dacon]

Maybe they have actually found hell.

 

[FlyLo]

we out here finding game worlds.

 

[MayauMiao]

Ocean made of lava? The sun?

 

[Elcid]

Shit was designed by No Man’s Sky RNG

 

[Nobody_Important]

Anytime I read about all of these fascinating cosmic phenomena and crazy planets I always get just a little bit depressed because I know there's no real way that I'll ever be able to actually see any of it. I know it's a weird thing to be upset about, but just imagine that you could actually stand on the surface of these places without you know being crushed to death by gravity or being turned to ash by extreme heat.


It would be a hell of a thing.

 

[Pagusas]

So how do they know this much detail? Or is it just inferred?

 

[BigBooper]

Anytime I read about all of these fascinating cosmic phenomena and crazy planets I always get just a little bit depressed because I know there's no real way that I'll ever be able to actually see any of it. I know it's a weird thing to be upset about, but just imagine that you could actually stand on the surface of these places without you know being crushed to death by gravity or being turned to ash by extreme heat.


It would be a hell of a thing.

I highly recommend a road trip to see some of the crazy stuff here on Earth. Death Valley gives a great taste of desolation. The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking sight. Just imagine the Colorado River is lava.

 

[God Enel]

 

[MetalAlien]

Sounds pretty good compared to what we have in store for 2021. I'm hitting zilllow right now.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

That place is nothing.

Visit the washroom in a Chinese restaurant and you'll truly see hell.

 

[just_some_nut]

Open the gates and harness its energy

 

[appaws]

I can just imagine walking around there with Slayer's Reign in Blood playing at 10 in my earbuds. Sweet.

 

[Stilton Disco]

Ocean made of lava? The sun?

The sun is more of an enormous constant nuclear explosion.

I'd still say this is less hell like than places in our own system, though. Aesthetics aside, Venus being an acid storm drenched pressure cooker is really hard to top.

 

[GymWolf]

Seems like a better place to live than some districts here in sicily...

 

[GeorgPrime]

Finally they found the right "Planet" to turn into a global prison. Time to send some people there.

 

[Unknown Soldier]

Finally they found the right "Planet" to turn into a global prison. Time to send some people there.

Riddick will escape from it shortly after it's built.

 

[ZeroZeroQuatre]

Plot twist :

 

[JimiNutz]

Send in the Doom Slayer!

 

[The Janitor]

This scorching hot part of the planet reaches temperatures of over 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit

The rest of the planet is cloaked in never-ending darkness, reaching frigid temperatures of negative 328 degrees Fahrenheit.

So somewhere in the middle it must be pretty nice

 

[The Hamburglar]

How can they tell how hot a planet is 100s of light years away and see lava on it. I call bullshit

 

[German Hops]

This is probably where God puts away the sinners.

 

[mcz117chief]

Vast majority of our planet is still unexplored. A lot of surface, basically the entire oceans and everything beneath our feet is completely unknown.

So somewhere in the middle it must be pretty nice

You know what storms are? When cold and hot air meet. I wouldn't want to be in a place where these two extremes meet, those kinds of winds would disintegrate you in a microsecond.

 

[The Janitor]

You know what storms are? When cold and hot air meet. I wouldn't want to be in a place where these two extremes meet, those kinds of winds would disintegrate you in a microsecond.

I know, I was kidding.

 

[Porcile]

I could survive easily, All I'd need would be the high ground.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

I love all the cool planets and moons out there. It's a shame we'll all be long dead before we can actually explore them. Unless we get that peaceful alien invasion I'm hoping for and they share their technology.

 

[lock2k]

Holy shit, they found Tamaran!

 

[Northeastmonk]

What would be cool is if they found a civilization living on this planet. That would also be super freaky too. Imagine seeing cities or even horned creatures from a massive super telescope.

 

[supernova8]

What would be cool is if they found a civilization living on this planet. That would also be super freaky too. Imagine seeing cities or even horned creatures from a massive super telescope.

I found some exclusive photos of that very civilisation!

 

[supernova8]

Vast majority of our planet is still unexplored. A lot of surface, basically the entire oceans and everything beneath our feet is completely unknown.

Yeah it's so interesting to watch those videos of the deep-sea creatures. Some them are like transparent-bodied with fluorescent organs. I think a lot of what people would consider "alien" is actually living right at the bottom of the ocean.

 

[Super Mario]

Maybe they have actually found hell.

Have you seen how many times California ignites in flames?

 

[Kev Kev]

I could survive easily, All I'd need would be the high ground.

what you did there, I see it

 

[Biff]

 

[Tschumi]

*glances toward pile of replica doomguy armour in corner*

 

[Croatoan]

Is the planet racist though?

 

[Jeeves]

 

[StreetsofBeige]

NASA probe detects hostiles.

 

[Lionel Richie]

 

[DogofWar]

I'm from Finland, that planet is basically how I feel whenever I am south of Denmark during summer time.

 

[Nobody_Important]

I highly recommend a road trip to see some of the crazy stuff here on Earth. Death Valley gives a great taste of desolation. The Grand Canyon is a breathtaking sight. Just imagine the Colorado River is lava.

I plan to travel when I get older if I can. I was actually going to go to Normandy in May this year because I wanted to visit the exact place where modern democracy was founded on, but COVID threw everything into chaos. I'm not sure when I will be able to make that trip now, but I swear I will make if I can.

 

[EverydayBeast]

This is the kinda discovery you find in Mass Effect

 

[YukiOnna]

Open the gates and harness its energy

 

[E-Cat]

The rest of the planet is cloaked in never-ending darkness, reaching frigid temperatures of negative 328 degrees Fahrenheit.

So, what if you were to stand exactly where the dark and light side meet? Would one of your testicles be frozen solid while the other one vaporized?