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    Hidden magma oceans could shield rocky exoplanets from harmful radiation

    January 16, 2026, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Illustration of a super-earth shown with cross-sections revealing the deep layer of molten rock known as the basal magma ocean that could produce magnetic fields for super-earths.
    UNDER ARMOR? Deep layers of molten rock inside some super-earths could generate powerful magnetic fields—potentially stronger than Earth’s—and help shield these exoplanets from harmful radiation. (University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics illustration / Michael Franchot)

    Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-Earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous cosmic radiation and other harmful high-energy particles.

    Earth’s magnetic field is generated by movement in its liquid iron outer core—a process known as a dynamo—but larger rocky worlds like super-Earths might have solid or fully liquid cores that cannot produce magnetic fields in the sam...

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