The exoplanet may be as volcanic as Jupiter's moon Io, which is very active due to the planet's gravitational forces heating up its interior.
An exoplanet the size of Earth has been discovered in a distant solar system, and it could be bursting with volcanic activity., the planet, named LP 791-18 d, could possibly be as explosive as Jupiter's moon Io—the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
NASA image of LP 791-18 d, shown here in an artist's concept, is an Earth-sized world about 90 light-years away. The gravitational tug from a more massive planet in the system, shown as a blue disk in the background, may result in internal heating and volcanic eruptions.Exoplanets are planets orbiting other stars, far from our own solar system. As of May 1,
LP 791-18 d orbits between LP 791-18 b, which is around 20 percent bigger than Earth, and LP 791-18 c, roughly 250 percent larger than Earth. "The day side would probably be too hot for liquid water to exist on the surface. But the amount of volcanic activity we suspect occurs all over the planet could sustain an atmosphere, which may allow water to condense on the night side," Benneke said.