Exoplanet Cores May Contain Compounds Impossible On Earth

Chemistry





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An artist's vision of Kepler 10-c, the discovery of which overthrew ideas of how large rocky planets could be. New modelling suggests such planets' interiors contain novel compounds. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics/David Aguilar

The intense pressures at the heart of rocky planets larger than Earth will cause elements to combine in ways they never do on Earth. Modeling suggests this could result in exceptionally powerful magnetic fields and much more rapid geologic activity at the planet's surface.