Scientists have found an exoplanet with a temperature similar to that of Earth orbiting a red dwarf star 90 light years away.
In a study published in the Astronomical Journal, astronomers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the American University of New Mexico named the new exoplanet TOI-1231 b. The object is roughly the size of Neptune, is 15.4 times more massive than Earth, and takes 24.2 days to orbit the red dwarf star M3 NLTT 24399.
TOI-1231 b was detected and tracked by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Planetary Search Spectrometer (PFS) on the Magellan Clay Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
“The exoplanet is located 0.1288 astronomical units from the host star, only 1/8 the distance from Earth to the Sun, but its temperature is still similar to that of Earth. This is due to M3 NLTT 24399. cooler and less luminous than our Sun, ”said assistant professor Diana Dragomir in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of New Mexico.
Previous studies have shown that cold planets can have clouds in the upper atmosphere, making it difficult to determine the type of gas around them.
“TOI-1231b is one of the few known exoplanets with a temperature range similar to Earth. Therefore, future observations of this object may help us determine the extent of the variable (or rare) spectrum of clouds. Of water forming around the cold planet, “said Jennifer Burt, NASA JPL scientist and lead author of the study.
The low density of TOI 1231b suggests that it has a substantial atmosphere surrounding it, rather than a bare rocky planet. However, its composition and density are still unknown. The team speculates that this atmosphere could be composed of hydrogen, hydrogen-helium or dense water vapor.
“Each component of the atmosphere has a different origin, allowing astronomers to understand how the exoplanets that form around red dwarfs differ from the planets around them. Our next observations with the Hubble Space Telescope will answer these questions,” he said. added Dragomir.
