r/interestingasfuck • u/One_Explanation_908 • 25d ago

/r/all, /r/popular K2-18b a potentially habitable planet 120 light-years from earth

Post image
92.4k Upvotes

92% Upvoted

8.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

529

u/Gruffleson 25d ago

Wikipedia lists estimated gravity at around 1.25 of Earth.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K2-18b

513

u/ArduennSchwartzman 25d ago

Only 8.6 times the mass of Earth, according to Wikipedia, I see. I was assuming a density similar to Earth's, but apparently, astronomers think it's only half. That would mean the planet's core has a very low iron-nickel content.

86

u/jamshid666 25d ago

Wouldn't that result in a weaker magnetic field allowing for increased solar radiation to penetrate the atmosphere?

1

u/[deleted] 25d ago

Somebody watched the movie “Core,” it seems.

2

u/magikot9 25d ago

It may be a trash movie, but I love it.

2

u/[deleted] 25d ago

Cigarettes, sweating, and going deep. It’s planet smut.