NASA ’s Kepler deputation has been spoiling us with planetary discovery left and rightas of late . Now , researchers using NASA ’s Hubble Space Telescope have discovered an entirely Modern course of study of planet — they call it a “ waterworld , ” and it might be covered in broiling - live ice .
https://gizmodo.com/meet-the-galaxys-26-newest-planets-5879976
exemplification via ESA – AOES Medialab
In our own solar system , you ’ll come up three independent types of planet : terrestrial ( Mercury , Venus , Earth , Mars ) ; gas giants ( Jupiter , Saturn ) ; and internal-combustion engine giants ( Uranus and Neptune ) .
Journey out into the rest of our beetleweed , and you ’ll encountera smattering of other categories . But now , observations made by Hubble have bring out a planet just forty light old age aside that Pearl Buck establish norm like a ugly but otherwise vestal character in … well , more than one Kevin Costner plastic film , really … but peculiarly inWaterworld . Which is fitting . Because scientists say the extrasolar planet — dubbed GJ1214b — represents a brand Modern categorization of planet : a veritable world of H2O , incase within a thick atmospheric state of water vapor .
“ GJ1214b is like no major planet we do it of , ” explained astronomer Zachory Berta , who led the squad that divulge the exoplanet ’s mystery . “ A Brobdingnagian fraction of its spate is made up of water . ”
“ base on our observations , this ambience would likely lie in of more than 50 % water by mass , ” write the researchersin the paper describing their findings . These measurements , say the researchers , curb the potential theme and social organisation of the relaxation of the planet , which they conclude must contain “ a hearty fraction of piss ” throughout its interior .
How hearty of a fraction are we talking ? GJ1214b ’s denseness is tight to just 1.9 grams per cubic centimeter . Water has a density of 1 g / cm3 . The fact that Earth ’s intermediate density is 5.5 g / cm3 hint that GJ1214b is harbour a fortune more water than Earth — and much less sway .
But despite its hydrous nature , GJ1214b would still be inhospitable to human life , due primarily to the fact that its proximity to its sun gives it an estimated surface temperature in excess of 230 degree Celsius . “ The in high spirits temperature and in high spirits pressures would constitute exotic materials like ‘ hot ice-skating rink ’ or ‘ superfluid body of water . ' ” explained Berta , “ pith that are totally exotic to our everyday experience . ”
This artist ’s characterisation show GJ1214b deny the red - midget asterisk that it orbits , in an consequence that uranologist call a “ transit . ” [ Click here for hi - res ]
Observing passage is a common proficiency for find new exoplanets , but GJ1214bwas first name years ago ; Berta and his colleague swear on the transit method not to encounter the major planet , but to measure the infrared Light Within from the major planet ’s champion as it make it through bombastic swaths of GJ1214b ’s upper atmosphere ( a little like discover a sunset here on Earth ) . And to the researchers , the light of GJ1214b ’s sunsets hint the planet has an atmosphere dense with steam .
The researchers ’ findings have been take for publication in The Astrophysical Journal . you may read the paper in full , free of charge , over onarXiv .
[ arXivviaNASA HUBBLESITEandHarvard - Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics ]
image of GJ1214b viaNASA / ESA / David A. Aguilar
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