How Steam Worlds Challenge Our Views on Planetary Habitability

Sandeep K S

Aug 26, 2025

1 min read

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

Wide angle view of a steam world with swirling clouds — A steam world with thick clouds and a vibrant atmosphere

What if a galaxy could exist without the brilliant stars that normally make galaxies visible? Cloud-9 may offer astronomers one of the most intriguing examples yet. Located near the spiral galaxy M94, this mysterious hydrogen-rich object appears to contain enormous amounts of gas while producing almost no detectable starlight.

Sep 110 min read

"ASTRID: An advanced simulation powered by the Frontera supercomputer models 13.5 billion years of cosmic evolution, decoding the timeline from the cosmic dawn to the present. The project reveals the co-evolution of black holes and galaxies across 816 million light-years, using 166 billion particles and generating 30 terabytes per snapshot to trace the formation of the universe and predict gravitational waves."

Astrophysicists have completed ASTRID, the largest cosmological hydrodynamic simulation ever run

Astrophysicists have completed ASTRID, the largest cosmological hydrodynamic simulation ever run, tracing the universe from the cosmic dawn ($z=99$) down to the present day ($z=0$). By resolving 166 billion particles across 815 million light-years, ASTRID unveils how supermassive black holes co-evolve with galaxies and sculpt the cosmic web.

Aug 280 min read

New evidence from the GW200105 event reveals a neutron star and black hole merging on an eccentric orbit, challenging established circular models. The findings suggest a crowded cosmic origin, resulting in a black hole 13 times the sun's mass.

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path, challenging long-standing assumptions about cosmic pair formation. Most neutron star-black hole pairs are expected to adopt circular orbits long before merging, their orbits slowly rounded out by the constant emission of gravitational waves over millions of years.

Mar 111 min read

How Steam Worlds Challenge Our Views on Planetary Habitability

Recent Posts

Comments

What if a galaxy could exist without the brilliant stars that normally make galaxies visible?

Astrophysicists have completed ASTRID, the largest cosmological hydrodynamic simulation ever run

Scientists have uncovered the first robust evidence of a black hole and neutron star crashing together while orbiting in an oval path