A University of Oxford-led study has identified a previously unknown type of exoplanet characterized by a permanent ocean of magma that has persisted for billions of years. The planet stores large amounts of sulfur deep within its molten interior, representing a fundamentally different planetary evolution pathway than Earth.
The newly discovered world maintains surface temperatures hot enough to keep rock in a liquid state across its entire surface. Unlike Earth's early magma ocean, which solidified within tens of millions of years after formation, this exoplanet's molten surface has remained stable for approximately 5 billion years.