If you’re looking for the ultimate FOMO-inducing Instagram vacation photo, consider a trip to 55 Cancri e, because the exoplanet is covered in a lava ocean, which is the perfect backdrop for any selfie.
While space tourism is still a nascent industry, NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) is already stoking would-be tourists’ interplanetary travel bug with its Exoplanet Travel Bureau poster series.
To truly plot out your future 55 Cancri e photo shoot, check out the Exoplanet Travel Bureau’s 360-degree visualization tool, but be aware that the NASA researchers who put the imagery together had very limited data to work with. In fact, no photos of the planet exist save for what these folks dreamed up. All they know is that it looks like “a massive fiery orb,” which is apparently a technical term, thanks to the fact that the planet is 65 times closer to its star, Copernicus, than the Sun is to Earth.
NASA scientists also believe that the incredibly high temperature and pressure on the potentially carbon-rich planet could mean that its interior could contain a large amount of diamond. The planet has permanent day and night sides, and its cooler half is covered in sparkling clouds made from silicate vapor that reflect the lava’s red glow.
In short, perfect spot for a #sponcon photo shoot of the future.