#13 Ogle-2005-Blg-390lb - A Frozen Wasteland (1 photo)

After a journey of over 20,000 light years we have reached the constellation of Sagittarius. A red dwarf star glows faintly against the darkness of space. Red dwarfs are some of the smallest and coolest stars in the universe. The star is orbited by a distant planet. This planet is too far away to feel what little heat is generated by the star. It is one of the coldest known planets in the universe with a freezing surface temperature of -220 °C (-364 °F). The entire planet is covered in a thick layer of ice. Glaciers, canyons, vast plains and giant mountains of ice dot the surface. Life on the surface of this frozen wasteland is highly unlikely. Temperatures are so bone chillingly cold that any life as we know it would instantly be turned into an frozen ice cube. However, things could be more lively deep beneath the hostile, frozen surface. The planet could have a warm core generating heat. Also, tidal heating caused by the gravitational pull of orbiting moons could keep the planets interior warm. This could melt much of the inner ice and create a giant subsurface ocean of water.