The Atlantic

How Volcanoes Make the Universe More Livable

Hydrogen-spewing eruptions could help heat the atmospheres of planets that were once thought to be outside of the habitable zone.
Source: U.S. Coast Guard / Reuters

When it comes to prime real estate for liquid water in the cosmos, location is everything. Too close to a star, and a planet’s water evaporates from the extreme heat. Too far, and the planet turns into an ice ball. The middle is the place to be. Anything beyond that outermost edge, where planets

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from The Atlantic

The Atlantic4 min read
Hayao Miyazaki’s Anti-war Fantasia
Once, in a windowless conference room, I got into an argument with a minor Japanese-government official about Hayao Miyazaki. This was in 2017, three years after the director had announced his latest retirement from filmmaking. His final project was
The Atlantic3 min readDiscrimination & Race Relations
The Legacy of Charles V. Hamilton and Black Power
This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present and surface delightful treasures. Sign up here. This week, The New York Times published news of the death of Charles V. Hamilton, the
The Atlantic6 min read
The Happy Way to Drop Your Grievances
Want to stay current with Arthur’s writing? Sign up to get an email every time a new column comes out. In 15th-century Germany, there was an expression for a chronic complainer: Greiner, Zanner, which can be translated as “whiner-grumbler.” It was no

Related Books & Audiobooks