Science & technology

Scientists Find Molten Planet Covered in Magma Ocean

Is L 98-59 d proof that planetary formation models are broken or just a rare cosmic oddity?

Published MAR 16

Scientists Find Molten Planet Covered in Magma Ocean

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Image credit: Noticias SIN via X

The Facts

Astronomers have identified a potential new class of planet, L 98-59 d, which orbits a small red star about 35 light-years from Earth and is approximately 1.6 times the size of Earth. Their findings were published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday.
Financial Times
Guardian
Nature
Data from the James Webb Space Telescope and ground-based observatories revealed that L 98-59 d has an unusually low density and an atmosphere containing significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide, a gas associated with the smell of rotten eggs.
The Debrief
SciTech Daily
Researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Groningen, the University of Leeds and ETH Zurich used computer simulations to reconstruct the planet's history over nearly five billion years, finding that its mantle is likely molten silicate, similar to lava on Earth.
Interesting Engineering
PHYS
Noticias SIN on X
The planet's global magma ocean, extending thousands of kilometers beneath its surface, acts as a reservoir that stores large quantities of sulfur and helps retain a thick hydrogen-rich atmosphere that would otherwise be stripped away by X-ray radiation from its host star.
Astronomy Now
EurekAlert!
L 98-59 d does not fit the two previously established categories for small exoplanets — rocky gas dwarfs or water-rich worlds — and may be the first identified member of a broader population of sulfur-rich planets sustaining long-lived magma oceans.
University of Oxford
The Telegraph
Nature
The research team plans to apply their simulations to data from upcoming missions, including ESA's Ariel and PLATO, using machine learning methods to map planetary diversity and better understand which worlds may be capable of supporting life.
Astronomy Now
SciTech Daily

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The Spin

Narrative A

L 98-59 d isn't just a weird planet — this molten sulfur world, kept liquid by its own thick atmosphere rather than stellar radiation, breaks every category astronomers rely on. Missions like PLATO and ARIEL are coming, and the galaxy is almost certainly full of these strange worlds just waiting to shatter previous assumptions about how planets work.

IFLScience

Narrative B

While scientists claim the discovery of a "new class" of molten planet, the interpretation relies heavily on simulations and limited telescope data. The extreme sulfur atmosphere and magma ocean inferred for L 98-59 d remain indirect estimates. Without direct observation of its surface or interior, the classification could change as future measurements refine the planet's properties.