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Strange Alien World Made of "Hot Ice"

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the vanilla-considering-name-change dept.

David Shiga writes "The smallest planet ever seen passing in front of its parent star is a strange world of scorching hot ice, astronomers say. The 22-Earth-mass planet has been known since 2004, but recent observations of it passing in front of its parent star have allowed them to learn much more about it. It appears to be made mostly of water, but not in liquid form. The planet orbits so close to its parent star that its surface is a broiling 300 C, keeping any water there in vapor form. Beneath the atmosphere, the water is even hotter, but is at such high pressure because of the planet's large mass that it stays in a solid, "hot ice" form."

8 of 216 comments (clear)

  1. Interesting. by jshriverWVU · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Kinda OT, but wonder if hot ice can be made on earth in a controlled environment.

    1. Re:Interesting. by UbuntuDupe · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Since it's just a matter of increasing the pressure, yes, but don't think you can just reach inside the pressurized chamber and touch it.

      Side note: this is vindication for all the times people riduculed me for responding to claims about water's boiling/melting point with "Wait -- what pressure are we talking about here?"

      --
      Apology to Ubuntu forum.
    2. Re:Interesting. by www.themodernman.com · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Cool!

      Plenty of you might might have seen this, but for those of you who haven't: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pfwY2TNehw

      Cheers
      Dan
      Confidence With Women

    3. Re:Interesting. by drasfr · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I bet to raise a few questions here on we can't touch it.

      Ice/Solid water as we know it under 1 atmosphere is formed at 0C/32F...

      Let's say that under 300 atmospheres, Ice/solid water can be formed at 100C/212F

      Why can't we have have Ice/Solid water at 30C/86F under atmospheres where is somewhere between 1 and 300? assuming the 300 hypothesis for solid at 100C/212F?

      That would allow touching it... assuming the pressure isn't too much... or maybe, that would happen if we suddently release the pressure? from 300atmospheres to 1? Would it 'melts' immediately? or its molecular state changing slowly back? I am curious...

    4. Re:Interesting. by fractalVisionz · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Actually, if you put water in a vacuum, it will start to boil, due to the decrease in pressure. Once near a full vacuum, the water will actually boil into ice, forming "hot" room temperature ice.

  2. Correct me if I am wrong by TheRealMindChild · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Correct me if I am wrong, please. When water molecules turn to ice as we know it, it becomes a hexagon structure of linked molecules. My impression is that water, under high pressure, while "solid", wouldn't form this structure. Could we really then call it "Ice"?

    --

    "When life gives you lemons, don't make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back!" -- Cave Johnson
  3. Re:Philosophical question by slew · · Score: 2, Interesting

    According to this paper, if you are in hot ice, you'd be zapped or fried (maybe that's the same thing) ;^)

  4. Re:Could actually be an Ice IX by reverseengineer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    There is an Ice-IX, but it only exists at a combination of very low temperature (less than 140K) and very high pressure (~300MPa). Raise the temperature, and there will be a conversion to another polymorph of ice (or to liquid water). This site has some good information on the phases of water, especially the ice polymorphs.

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    "FDA staff reviewers expressed concern about the number of patients who were left out of the study because they died."