10 Insane Planets You Won't Believe Exist

You know, Earth is pretty cool, all things considered.

Yes, depending on where you live, it can be pretty unpleasant. From bitter cold in the winters, to scorching heat in the summers, our seasons can be a bit dramatic, sure. But you know what? At least the planet isn't on fire. At least it's not completely under water. At least it has oxygen, water, plant life, food, and an atmosphere. The temperatures - even when they're miserable - are still generally hospitable. The same can't be said of literally any other planet in our solar system, much less those worlds that lie far beyond. Once you get out into the vast recesses of space, you'll find worlds that seem tailor-made to murder you.

Scientists have discovered some real head-scratchers, nightmare-inducers, and brain-breakers. For as cool as the Earth is, the universe as a whole is absolutely mad. Think about it! It's a never-ending, dark, cold void that's inhospitable to virtually all organic life, and that's just the space between worlds. Wait until you see some of these absolute hellscapes.

Let's all just be thankful that we live on a hospitable planet that has allowed us to progress to the point where we can write and read articles trashing those other, less-friendly worlds.

Gliese 1214 b is classified as a super-Earth. With a designation like that, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's a carbon copy of Earth, at least in composition. You hear "super-Earth," and you probably think of a planet in a habitable zone, complete with oxygen, water, and possibly organic life. But what does that classification ACTUALLY mean? All it really means is that the planet in question is larger than Earth, but significantly smaller than ice giants like Uranus or Neptune. It has nothing to do with the chemical or elemental composition of a planet.

However, Gliese 1214 b DOES likely have something in common with Earth: oceans. Lots of them. Actually, it's basically one big, giant ocean from pole to pole.

It's assumed that the planet has a solid, rocky core, but that its entire surface is covered in a vast ocean of sorts. Its atmosphere is water-heavy, but given the planet's temperatures and gravity, it's highly unlikely that we'd find liquid water, or even water in a solid or gas form. Instead, scientists believe that this planet is covered in an ocean of plasma water.

Does that make sense? No? Good. Welcome to space. Surf's up.