A planet needs to start with a lot of water to become like Earth
The sweet spot is somewhere between 3 and 8 times all the water in Earth’s oceans
![An illustration of a planet with blue watery oceans, reddish land, and an atmosphere, seen from above](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/071224_lg_water-worlds_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Not every planet will end up with the Earthlike combo of water and land seen in this illustration.
Mark Garlick/Science Photo Library/Getty Images Plus