TOPICS:AstronomyAstrophysicsExoplanetGeophysicsUniversity Of Bern

By UNIVERSITY OF BERN MARCH 6, 2021

Volcanoes Might Light Up the Night Sky of This Super-Earth Exoplanet

This artist’s illustration represents the possible interior dynamics of the super-Earth exoplanet LHS 3844b. The planet’s interior properties and the strong stellar irradiation might lead to a hemispheric tectonic regime. Credit: © Universität Bern / University of Bern, Illustration: Thibaut Roger

Until now, researchers have found no evidence of global tectonic activity on planets outside our solar system. Under the leadership of theUniversity of Bernand the National Center of Competence in Research NCCR PlanetS, scientists have now found that the material inside planet LHS 3844b flows from one hemisphere to the other and could be responsible for numerous volcanic eruptions on one side of the planet.

On Earth, plate tectonics is not only responsible for the rise of mountains and earthquakes. It is also an essential…