The iron in the exoplanet GJ 361b could almost begin to melt during the day.
The researchers found that the planet, which is 31 light years from Earth, is one of the lightest among the nearly 5,000 exoplanets that are known today. It is slightly larger than Mars.
The team says the research shows that astronomy can determine the properties of even very small planets, which is a step forward in the search for a second Earth.
The size and mass of the planet were calculated using two methods, one of which involved analyzing the light of the star. The minute dip in light from the star was to be measured as the planet passed in front of it. This was done with data from the TESS.
The mass of the planet was inferred from the effect it had on the star's movement. The motion was small, at a rate of 80 cm a second, so it's fantastic that we were able to detect it from 31 years away.
The Institute of Planetary Research at the GermanAerospace Center led the study with 78 researchers.
The DLR's Dr. Kristine Lam said that GJ is classified as a rocky planet. This places it among the sub- Earth sized planets and brings research one step forward in the search for a second Earth.
The "ultra- short period" group of exoplanets that are in the vicinity of their star in less than 24 hours is called the "USP" group. "We already know a few of these, but their origins are not known," said Dr. We can see the system's formation and evolution history by measuring the fundamental properties of the planet.
The spectrum of the star was studied from the ground using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6m telescope, after the discovery of this planet using TESS and the transit method.
The planet's mass is 55 percent of Earth's mass, and its radius is 72 percent.
The researchers were able to draw conclusions about the exoplanet's inner structure by determining its radius and mass with an accuracy of 7 and 14 percent. It is a rocky planet with a higher density than the Earth. The planet is dominated by an iron core according to Dr. Szilrd Csizmadia.
The iron and nickel core of Mercury differentiates it from other bodies in the Solar System.
The planet's proximity to its star means it is exposed to an extreme level of radiation, 500 times stronger than the Earth. The surface temperature could be as high as 1500 degrees Celsius.
The parent star of this exoplanet is a red dwarf, which is half the size of the Sun. The transit signal of the planet is very significant and this was beneficial for its discovery. Red dwarfs are cooler than the Sun. It makes finding and characterization of their associated planets easier. They are among the most common stellar objects in our neighborhood and are suitable targets for exoplanet research.
The red dwarfs, which are also known as 'class M stars', are found in an area that is four times the size of Earth.
This tiny iron-rich world is extraordinary metal. There is a DOI: 10.1038/d41586-021-03587-z.
Nature journal information.
Astronomers discovered a hot, dense planet with eight-hour year on December 3, 2021.
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