Create your free account

Enter your email and we'll send a 6-digit code — no password needed.
We only keep your email and the username you choose. We never share or sell your email, and we don't send marketing — we use it only to email you a sign-in code. Learn more.

Volcanic Worlds

Cold worlds kept molten from within by their moons.

A volcanic world is not melted by its star - it is kneaded by its moons. Close-in moons in a resonant configuration pump the planet's tides, and the flexing dissipates enormous heat inside it. Volcanism resurfaces the world continuously while the ground between the vents stays as cold as the orbit allows. Jupiter's moon Io is the real example: an equilibrium temperature near 110 K, and lava lakes at 1600 K on the same surface. Give a comfortable orbit two close-in moons to build one.

See all volcanic worlds on Explore

The TerraForge exoplanet catalog: 5,572 real exoplanets run through the simulation, with a search field and rendered worlds grouped by type

New: The Exoplanet Catalog 🔭

Every confirmed planet NASA has measured well enough to build — 5,572 of them — is now in here, and none of them arrived with a label. Their real mass, radius, orbit and star go through the same simulation that runs everything you make, and it decides what each one is: gas giant, lava world, ocean, ice. Sixteen come out Earth-like. Find TRAPPIST-1e, stand on its surface, and see what a red dwarf's light actually looks like from the ground.

Create your free account

Enter your email and we'll send a 6-digit code — no password needed.
We only keep your email and the username you choose. We never share or sell your email, and we don't send marketing — we use it only to email you a sign-in code. Learn more.

Send feedback

We're still building out the best experience we can — and we'd love your input. Tell us about features you enjoy, ideas you'd like to see, or pain points where something feels off, and we'll know where to look next.

Type