Foreign Planet May Have 'Hot Ice'

A planet located ~30 light-years from Earth is covered by "hot ice"

A small observatory in southern Switzerland found a Neptune-sized world that could be the first planet made of ice. Planet GJ 436b orbits closely with its star but is likely covered with forms of water that cannot be found on Earth -- it consists of hot, solid water. Scientists are describing the planet as a "hot ice planet." Studies indicate the planet is composed mainly of water ice.Because the planet is close to its star and is under extremely high pressure, GJ 436b is not a welcoming planet, said one of the astronomers responsible for discovering the planet. Researchers further believe that the planet is likely covered by hydrogen, making it even more hostile towards humans. "The water is frozen by the pressure but it's hot. It's a bit strange -- we are used to water changing conditions because of temperature, but in fact water can also be solidified by pressure," said Frederic Point.Planet GJ 436b was originally found in 2004 by a team of U.S. researchers led by University of California, Berkeley's Geoff Marcy. The discovery it is covered by hot ice was made by researchers in Geneva using a Swiss telescope.Even though planet GJ 436b does not have an environment suited for humans, researchers are pleased with its discovery. Since there is water and oceans on this planet, researchers believe water could be located on planets in other solar systems -- a key to discovering other signs of life.

Reference: Michael Hoffman, dailytech