Nearby super-Earth K2-18 b may be a water-rich ocean planet: 'This has certainly increased the chances of habitability'

This artist’s illustration shows the planet K2-18 b, its host star and an accompanying planet in this system. K2-18 b is now the only super-Earth exoplanet known to host both water and temperatures that could support life.

The saga surrounding Neptune-size "super-Earth" exoplanet K2-18 b just got a whole lot more interesting. For a quick recap, this is the world a team of scientists recently suggested could host life — to the dismay of other scientists in the community, who felt the announcement failed to include necessary caution.

While signs of life on the world have failed to conclusively present themselves to the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the powerful space telescope has discovered that this planet is so rich in liquid water that it could be an ocean, or "Hycean" world.