HYCEAN WORLDS    

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Context

• A study published in The Astrophysical Journal identifies a new class of exoplanets – Hycean worlds – that could support life different from that on Earth.

Details

• These planets are about 2.6 times the size of Earth, have temperatures about 200 degrees Celsius and planet-wide oceans. These could support microbial underwater life.
• Exoplanets are planets that orbit a star other than our sun. The prefix exo comes from the Greek and means outside; these worlds are far, far outside our own solar system.