Episode 94: The Floor Is Lava!

Was the floor in your childhood home ever lava? If so, you may have been training to visit these spicy magma-filled exoplanets! In this episode, we're turning up the heat and investigating what makes magma/lava so important for potential extraterrestrial life. Sabrina takes us to the poster child of strange lava worlds and finally gives exoplanteers an answer to the long debate of whether it has an atmosphere or if its star blew it away. Then, Cormac tells us all about how water can play well with magma. Kiersten is convinced that these lava worlds might just be the perfect place for a hot summer vacation.

Astrobites:

https://astrobites.org/2024/06/19/template-post-17/

https://astrobites.org/2023/09/21/magma-oceans-and-surface-water/

Kiersten’s paper: 

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/acea85/pdf

Space sound:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3clDSXN26N9lQtCwJgMb2tR/sonification