A hycean planet is a hypothetical type of planet with liquid water oceans under a hydrogen atmosphere.^[2] The presence of extraterrestrial liquid water makes hycean planets regarded as promising candidates for planetary habitability.^[3][4][5] They are usually considered to be larger and more massive than Earth;^[6] density data imply that both rocky Super-Earths and Sub-Neptunes (like K2-18b and TOI-1231 b)^[1][5] can fit this type, and it is thus expected that they will be common exoplanets.^[4] As of 2023, there are no confirmed hycean planets, but the Kepler mission detected many candidates.^[3]

The term "hycean planet" was coined in 2021 by a team of exoplanet researchers at the University of Cambridge, as a portmanteau of "hydrogen" and "ocean", used to describe planets that are thought to have large oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. Hycean planets are thought to be common around red dwarf stars, and are considered to be a promising place to search for life beyond Earth. The term was first used in a paper published in The Astrophysical Journal on August 31, 2021.^[7]

Life on hycean planets is probably entirely aquatic.^[8] Their water-rich compositions imply that they can have larger sizes than comparable non-hycean planets, thus making detection of biosignatures easier.^[9] Hycean worlds could be soon investigated for biosignatures by terrestrial telescopes and space telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope.^[4][10]

Hycean planets could be considerably larger than previous estimates for habitable planets, with radii reaching 2.6 R_🜨 (2.3 R_🜨) and masses of 10 M_E (5 M_E).^[9] Moreover, the habitable zone of such planets could be considerably larger than that of Earth-like planets. The planetary equilibrium temperature can reach 430 K (157 °C; 314 °F) for planets orbiting late M-dwarfs.^[11] However, mass and radius do not by themselves inform the composition of a planet, as bodies with identical mass and radius can have distinct compositions: A given planet may thus be either a hycean planet or a super-Earth.^[12]

Such planets can have many distinct atmospheric compositions and internal structures.^[9] Also possible are tidally locked "dark hycean" planets (habitable only on the side of permanent night)^[13] or "cold hycean" planets (with negligible irradiation that are kept warm by the greenhouse effect).^[11] Dark hycean worlds can form when the atmosphere does not effectively transport heat from the permanent day side to the permanent night side,^[14] thus the night side has temperate temperatures while the day side is too hot for life.^[15] Cold hycean planets may exist even in the absence of stars, e.g. rogue planets.^[15]

Although the presence of water may help them be habitable planets, their habitability may be limited by a possible runaway greenhouse effect. Hydrogen reacts differently to starlight's wavelengths than do heavier gases like nitrogen and oxygen. If the planet orbits a sun-like star at one Astronomical unit (AU), the temperature would be so high that the oceans would boil and water would become vapor. Current calculations locate the habitable zone where water would remain liquid at 1.6 AU, if the atmospheric pressure is similar to Earth's, or at 3.85 AU if it is the more likely tenfold to twentyfold pressure. All current hycean planet candidates are located within the area where oceans would boil, and are thus unlikely to have actual oceans of liquid water.^[3] Another limiting factor is that X-ray and UV radiation from the star (especially active stars) can destroy the water molecules.^[13]

• They are regarded to be covered in oceans.^[8]
• They have hydrogen-rich atmospheres. The atmospheres on hycean planets are thought to be made up of hydrogen, helium, and water vapor.^[2]
• Dark hycean planets thought to be common around red dwarf stars.^[15] Red dwarf stars are the most common type of star in the Milky Way galaxy.^[16]
• They are considered to be a promising place to search for life beyond Earth. Hycean planets have the ingredients that is necessary for life, including liquid water, energy, and organic molecules.^[8]
• Their atmospheres may have less methane and ammonia than comparable non-hycean Neptune-like planets, if they have water oceans.^[6]
• They might have a much higher free energy availability for their ecosystems than Earth.^[17]

Hycean planets may be capable of supporting extraterrestrial life, despite their properties differing drastically from Earth's. Astronomers plan to use telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope to search for hycean planets and to learn more about their potential for habitability.^[18]

K2-18b edit

One such candidate planet is K2-18b, which orbits a faint star with a period of about 33 days. This candidate planet could have liquid water, containing a considerable high amount of hydrogen gas in its atmosphere, and is far enough from its star, such that it resides within its star's habitable zone. Such candidate planets can be studied for biomarkers.^{[19] [20]} In 2023, the James Webb Space Telescope detected carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere of K2-18b, but it did not detect large amounts of ammonia. This supports the hypothesis that K2-18b could indeed have a water ocean. The same observations also suggest that K2-18b's atmosphere might contain dimethyl sulfide, a compound associated with life on Earth, although this has yet to be confirmed.^[21] Another possibility is that K2-18 b is a lava world with a hydrogen atmosphere.^[22]

Other candidates edit

• K2-3 b, a potential Dark hycean planet^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• K2-3 c^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• Kepler-138 d^[24]
• LTT 1445 A b^[12] but may be too hot^[23] and too water-poor.^[25]
• TOI-732 c^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-1266 c^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-175 d^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-2136 b^[26]
• TOI-270 c, a potential Dark hycean planet^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-270 d^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-776 b, a potential Dark hycean planet^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]
• TOI-776 c^[12] but may be too hot.^[23]

• Exoplanet – Planet outside the Solar System
• Hot Neptune – Planet with a mass similar to Uranus or Neptune orbiting close to its star
• Ocean world – Planet containing a significant amount of water or other liquid
• Solar System – The Sun and objects orbiting it

Sources edit

• University of Cambridge (30 August 2021). "New class of habitable exoplanets represent a big step forward in the search for life". Phys.org. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Carter, Jamie (25 August 2021). "Is Alien Life Hiding In Plain Sight? New Class Of 'Hycean' Planet Is Where We Should Look, Say Scientists". Forbes. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Starr, Michelle (27 August 2021). "We Could Discover Alien Life on This New Class of 'Hycean' Exoplanets, Study Says". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Wall, Mike (27 August 2021). "Alien life could thrive on big 'Hycean' exoplanets - Hycean planets are up to 2.5 times bigger than Earth, with oceans and hydrogen-rich atmospheres". Space.com. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Strictland, Ashley (26 August 2021). "This new class of hot ocean worlds could support life". CNN News. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Irving, Michael (27 August 2021). "Say hi to Hycean worlds, a new class of exoplanet that could host life". NewAtlas.com. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Staff (26 August 2021). "Astronomers Identify New Class of Exoplanets: Hycean Worlds". Science News. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
• Cohen, Liz (27 August 2021). "Scientists may find life on Earth-like planets covered in oceans within the next few years". CBS News. Retrieved 30 August 2021.