Oxford News
Researchers reveal a new class of molten planet
Artistic conception of the James Webb Space Telescope. Credit: NASA GSFC/CIL/Adriana Manrique Gutierre.
The exoplanet (a planet that orbits a star outside the Solar System), known as L 98-59 d, orbits a small red star about 35 light-years from Earth. Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and ground-based observatories suggested something unusual: the planet has an especially low density, given its size (which is about 1.6 times that of the Earth) and contains significant amounts of hydrogen sulfide in its atmosphere.
Until now, astronomers would have placed a planet like this into one of two familiar categories, either a rocky ‘gas-dwarf’ with an atmosphere of hydrogen, or a water-rich world made of deep oceans and ice. But these new findings reveal that L 98-59 d fits neither description – instead, it appears to belong to an entirely different class of planet containing heavy sulphur molecules.
A planet with an ocean of magma
This discovery suggests that the categories astronomers currently use to describe small planets may be too simple. … We may then ask: what other types of planet are waiting to be uncovered?
Lead author Dr Harrison Nicholls (Department of Physics, University of Oxford)
Using advanced computer simulations, a team of researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Groningen, the University of Leeds and ETH Zurich, reconstructed the planet’s history from shortly after its birth to the present day – a span of nearly five billion years. By directly linking telescope observations to these detailed physical models of planetary interiors and atmospheres, they were able to determine what must be happening deep inside the planet.
Their results reveal that the mantle of L 98-59 d is likely molten silicate (similar to lava on Earth), with a global magma ocean extending thousands of kilometres beneath. This vast molten reservoir allows the planet to store extremely large amounts of sulphur deep inside its interior, over geologic timescales. The magma ocean also helps L 98-59 d to retain a thick hydrogen-rich atmosphere containing sulphur-bearing gases such as hydrogen sulphide (H2S). Normally, this would be lost to space over time, due to X-ray radiation produced by the host star.
Over billions of years, chemical exchanges between its molten interior and atmosphere have shaped what telescopes observe on L 98-59 d today. The researchers suggest that L 98-59 d may be the first recognised member of a broader population of gas-rich sulphurous planets sustaining long lived magma oceans. If so, the diversity of worlds in our galaxy may be even greater than previously imagined.
Lead author Dr Harrison Nicholls (Department of Physics, University of Oxford) said: ‘This discovery suggests that the categories astronomers currently use to describe small planets may be too simple. While this molten planet is unlikely to support life, it reflects the wide diversity of the worlds which exist beyond the Solar System. We may then ask: what other types of planet are waiting to be uncovered?’
How sulphur shapes the planet
What’s exciting is that we can use computer models to uncover the hidden interior of a planet we will never visit… this research shows that it is possible to reconstruct the deep past of these alien worlds – and discover types of planets with no equivalent in our own Solar System.
Co-author Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert (Department of Physics, University of Oxford)
JWST observations from 2024 pointed to the presence of sulphur dioxide, among other sulphur gases, high in L 98-59 d’s upper atmosphere. The team’s new models show that these gases can be created when ultraviolet light from the host star, the red dwarf L 98-59, triggers chemical reactions. At the same time, the magma ocean below acts as a massive reservoir for buffering these volatile gases, storing and releasing them over billions of years after the planet formed. This combination of deep volatile storage within its interior and ultraviolet-driven atmospheric chemistry explains the planet’s notable properties.
According to the simulations, L 98-59 d likely formed with a very large amount of volatile material and may once have looked more like a larger sub-Neptune planet. Over billions of years, it gradually shrank as it cooled and lost some of its atmosphere. Importantly, magma oceans represent the universal initial states of all rocky planets (including the Earth and Mars), so new insights into magma ocean physics can inform us about our own world and its primordial history.
Co-author Professor Raymond Pierrehumbert (Department of Physics, University of Oxford) said: ‘What’s exciting is that we can use computer models to uncover the hidden interior of a planet we will never visit. Although astronomers can only measure a planet’s size, mass and atmospheric composition from afar, this research shows that it is possible to reconstruct the deep past of these alien worlds – and discover types of planets with no equivalent in our own Solar System.’
A wealth of new data are being delivered by JWST, with more to come from the upcoming Ariel and PLATO missions. The research team intend to apply their simulations to these new measurements, using machine learning methods, to map the diversity of worlds beyond the Solar System, and make connections with their early histories. In doing so, we will learn about how planets form, how they evolve, and thereby set expectations for which might be habitable (or not).
Dr Richard Chatterjee, (University of Leeds/ University of Oxford) said: ‘Our computer models simulate various planetary processes, effectively enabling us to turn back the clock and understand how this unusual rocky exoplanet, L 98-59 d, evolved. Hydrogen sulphide gas, responsible for the smell of rotten eggs, appears to play a starring role there. But, as always, more observations are needed to understand this planet and others like it. Further investigation may yet show that rather pungent planets are surprisingly common.’
The study ‘Volatile-rich evolution of molten super-Earth L 98-59 d’ has been published in Nature Astronomy.
For more information about this story or republishing this content, please contact [email protected]
An artist’s impression of L 98-59 d in orbit around its host star, the red dwarf L 98-59. Credit: Mark A. Garlick / markgarlick.com
Oxford News
Katy Perry forced to cancel gig ahead of Blenheim Festival
The 41-year-old pop icon was due to perform at Werchter Boutique festival in Belgium last night, Saturday, June 28, when the event was unexpectedly cut short.
The festival’s committee decided to end the day’s performances early, at 9pm just after a set from Pitbull, due to a weather forecast of ‘severe thunderstorms from midnight onwards at the earliest’ and a government warning.
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Perry wrote on Instagram: “Sadly my set at Werchter Boutique tonight can’t happen due to a government mandated cancellation because of the incoming inclement weather and crowd safety concerns.
“I was backstage at the show in the middle of hair and makeup when this news was delivered, and they gave me no choice.
“I am just as unhappy as you are. Unfortunately this is beyond my control, but the safety of all 55,000 of you always comes first and foremost.”
The performance was due to mark the popstar’s return to the one-day event held in Belgium’s Festivalpark for the first time in more than 15 years.
READ MORE: Sara Cox in new venture as UK charity collapses with £430k owed
Perry added: “I am sorry I can’t change the weather, and even sorrier that all of us can’t be together tonight. I was looking forward to being back after 17 years, I was even gonna wear the same outfit from that 2009 show again. I love you all, and please get home safe.”
It comes just a week before the star’s next scheduled festival appearance, at the brand-new Blenheim Festival in Wodostock, Oxfordshire, where she is due to perform on July 4.
The current forecast for that date is sunny skies and temperatures in the mid-20s.
Oxford News
BBOWT shares tips for helping wild bees this summer
CAN you imagine summer without the sight of bumblebees buzzing from flower to flower, or a summer lunch without juicy tomatoes or strawberries?
If we don’t help our wild bees, this could be a glimpse of the future.
Our bees are in trouble.
Bees pollinate flowers, but also many of our favourite food crops, equivalent to every third mouthful of food we eat.
But they’re losing the habitat and plants they need to survive.
In the countryside, 97 per cent of lowland meadow has already been lost and the dramatic decrease in suitable habitats isn’t just confined to rural areas.
Gardens used to act as ‘green corridors’ for wildlife to move around towns and cities, and into and out of urban areas, but are increasingly being paved over or even covered with fake grass – with no real plants at all.
Helping bees is easy though.
Anyone can take action to help wild bees whether you have a wall for vertical planting, window box, or back garden.
It’s easy to plant a bee haven and fun choosing between bee-friendly beauties like borage, foxglove and honeysuckle.
There are 15 million gardens in the UK.
Put together they cover an area that’s seven times the size of the Isle of Wight.
If we all made our gardens more bee-friendly it would have a huge impact on our wild bees.
So, what should you plant in your garden?
Bees need a supply of pollen and nectar throughout the year, from late winter/early spring when some emerge from their winter hibernation right through until the end of the year.
Plant a selection of perennials, such as bergamot, globe thistle and knapweeds, for pollen through the summer.
These will provide bees with food year after year.
Add a few annuals each year, such as borage, cornflower and sunflower for variety.
Later in the autumn, hebe and ivy provide food when summer plants have gone to seed.
Then make sure you’ve got a few winter-flowering crocuses and hellebores to help bees as they emerge on warmer winter or early spring days in need of food after their winter hibernation.
Did you know there are around 250 species of bee in the UK?
Just one species of bee, the honeybee, actually makes honey.
Then there are bumblebees, which are familiar to most of us, and many different kinds of solitary bee.
Solitary bees are fantastic pollinators for our garden plants.
They don’t live in colonies, but instead the females make their own nest without any ‘workers’ to help them.
Some make their nests in gaps in the walls of old buildings or dig holes in bare ground (look for small piles of earth with a tiny hole in the middle).
You can help some species of solitary bee in your garden by providing a ‘bee hotel’.
Cut lengths of old bamboo and tie together, or drill long holes in old pieces of wood.
Hang somewhere sunny and sheltered and, in time, the bees will move in.
The exposed cliffs at BBOWT’s Dry Sandford Pit nature reserve near Abingdon are a haven for many types of solitary bee, which burrow into the soft, sandy layers.
Look for the ‘honeycomb’ of tiny holes.
You may see the UK’s newest bumblebee in your garden – the tree bumblebee.
These were first recorded here in 2001 but they’ve now spread throughout much of England and Wales.
They have a distinctive ginger-coloured back (thorax) and black and white abdomen.
Some make their homes in old bird nest boxes as they prefer to nest above the ground.
Help ensure our bees’ survival by making your garden bee-friendly this summer.
You’ll be making a real difference to our bees and helping to ensure our summer strawberries are here to stay.
Find out more about bees and how to help them at bbowt.org.uk/different-kinds-bees.
Oxford News
Buckland Primary School Weins Homes Badbury Green village
Year Six pupils from Buckland Primary School visited Wain Homes’ Badbury Green site to learn about the housebuilding process and future career opportunities.
During the visit, students explored the stages of construction, the importance of green spaces, and the wide variety of roles available in the industry.
James Stevens, class teacher at Buckland Primary School, said: “Thank you to the Wain Homes team for giving our children an enjoyable and informative experience in a way they could easily understand.
“The children now have knowledge of how the homes they live in are built and some of the careers they may be interested in as they get older. They particularly enjoyed looking round the show homes and having a go at laying some bricks.”
The pupils toured two show homes and tried their hand at bricklaying.
A time capsule, filled with children’s notes describing life in 2026, was also buried during the visit, set to be be opened in 2076.
Tim Lund, regional sales director at Wain Homes, said: “We hope the visit inspired some of the children to consider construction as a future career. They were eager to learn and now understand each stage of the process of building a modern energy efficient home.”
Wain Homes is building 125 energy-efficient homes at the site.
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