A Third Evolutionary Path for Exoplanets: L 98-59 d’s Magma Ocean and Sunlight-Driven Sulfur Atmosphere
To the point
Led by Harrison Nicholls, researchers suggest L 98-59 d started molten with a large hydrogen and sulfur reservoir under a sulfur‑rich atmosphere and, over billions of years of heat, tides, and sunlight‑driven chemistry, shrank from a sub‑Neptune to a smaller super‑Earth, showing planet sizes can evolve and defy fixed categories.
