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This is Scientific American 60 Second Science. I'm Christopher Intagata.

Here on Earth, your best bet for seeing lava

is to go to a volcano.

But out in space, there are entire exoplanets made of the stuff.

These so-called lava worlds orbit so close to their stars that their surface temperatures can melt rock.

Which might sound familiar, says space technologist Mikhail Piusolo of the University of Tartu in Estonia.

So like for example from science fiction we know know from Star Wars episode 3 must of our planet.

Kind of like that but you know without the lightsabers.

Scientists had noticed that some of these real lava worlds were extraordinarily bright and reflective,

but why?

There was idea that maybe this comes from the fact that lava itself is basically a liquid and a smooth surface can reflect like the surface of water for example.

So Puyusolo and his colleagues did what anyone would do to test that idea.

They made their own lava.

Here's MIT's Zara Esick who led the team.

When we remove the lava from the furnace, you could instantly feel the heat wash over you. Even from six feet away,

it felt like you were standing right on the edge of a roaring bonfire. The crucible, which

was the container holding the lava, was glowing so brightly it made my eyes water.

It was an incredible experience.

After producing the lava the researchers calculated its reflectivity

...