Hot water deep inside GJ 436 b
GJ 436 b is a hot Neptune with an atmosphere hundreds of degrees hot. Early models considered a water-rich composition, but that does not mean its surface is covered in ice at over 500°C. Interior models depend on composition and temperature profile; some predict water in fluid, superionic, or plasma states rather than ordinary ice. The planet’s interior has not been directly observed. [1–3]
The cutaway is a model, not an observed image.
