A computer model predicts that there are stars in the universe with only water, without land, and that in many planets it is possible to find reservoirs of water - necessary for the creation of life
By: Dr. Noah Brosh
The universe belongs to the "dwellers of the seas" more than the "dwellers of the land". American researchers, who examined the process of the formation of planets, discovered that there is a great chance of finding planets most of whose surface is covered by water. If the research findings are confirmed, the chances of finding life forms on the planets outside the solar system will increase.
Among the scientists, the prevailing opinion is that the existence of water in a liquid state, even for a while, is a necessary requirement for the emergence and existence of life. About 110 of the planets outside the solar system known so far are giant planets, the size of Jupiter or larger. At the same time they probably also have Earth-like planets. These stars have a temperature that can be suitable for the formation and existence of life.
To date, no such stars have been discovered in observations, and the matter is based on hypotheses only, but now the hypotheses have received reinforcement in the form of mathematical calculations and a computer model. According to the model, a planet is formed from the coalescence of many small bodies. During this event, the newborn star heats up and disintegrates. On the basis of this theory, the water in the oceans covering the Earth originates from the shower of comets that fell on the planet while it was hot. The model calculates for the first time the mechanism behind this scenario.
Three American researchers modeled 42 different scenarios for the appearance of water on a galaxy in the making. In all of them, the planet was born in the inner part of its solar system, like in the middle between Jupiter and the Sun. One out of every 4 planets formed in this way is between a fifth and four times the size of Earth. Our solar system has 3 planets that fit this model: Venus, Earth and Mars.
The planets that fit the model, the researchers claim, have collected considerable amounts of water. In extreme cases, there are planets with no water at all, or with 3 times as much water as Earth. In other words: the model showed that in most cases more water accumulated on the planets than there is currently on Earth.
Although many lakes on Earth, such as the Earl's Sea, are drying up - the universe is rich in Earth-like planets where there is no land at all, only water.
