Earthlike planets covered with deep oceans that could harbor life may be found in as many as a third of solar systems discovered outside of our own. These solar systems feature gas giants known as “Hot Jupiters,” which orbit extremely close to their parent stars which is even closer than Mercury to our sun.
The close-orbiting gassy planets may help encourage the formations of smaller, rocky Earthlike planets. They also help rocky planets form close to the suns and may help pull in icy bodies that deliver water to the young planets.
There may be a new class of ocean-covered, and possibly habitable, planets in solar systems unlike our own. However, lives on this planet are most likely different from ours.
