A lava planet is a type of terrestrial planet, with a surface mostly or entirely covered by molten lava. Situations where such planets could exist include a young terrestrial planet just after its formation, a planet that has recently suffered a large collision event, or a planet orbiting very close to its star, causing intense irradiation and tidal forces to melt its surface.[1]
- ^ Henning, Wade G.; O'Connell, Richard J.; Sasselov, Dimitar D. (20 December 2009). "Tidally Heated Terrestrial Exoplanets: Viscoelastic Response Models". The Astrophysical Journal. 707 (2): 1000–1015. arXiv:0912.1907. Bibcode:2009ApJ...707.1000H. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/707/2/1000. S2CID 119286375.