Newly-discovered super-Earth heats up & freezes every 300 days
In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have found a new ‘super-Earth’ orbiting a Sun-like star just 20 light-years from our own planet. This extraordinary planet, dubbed a “super-Earth”, is a world that defies conventional understanding, experiencing extreme heat for the first part of its year and then freezing for the rest of it. This drastic temperature fluctuation occurs roughly every 300 days, making it one of the most fascinating discoveries in the field of exoplanetary science.
A ‘super-Earth’ is a planet that is bigger than our own Earth but smaller than the gas giants Neptune and Uranus. This newly discovered super-Earth is no exception, measuring approximately 1.5 times the size of our own planet. Its unique orbit around its host star, which is similar to the Sun in size and temperature, is the key to its extreme climate variations.
The super-Earth, named K2-141b, orbits its star in an oval shape, known as an eccentric orbit. This means that its distance from the star varies greatly throughout its year. When K2-141b is closest to its star, it experiences temperatures soaring up to 3,600°F (2,000°C), hotter than the surface of Venus. This intense heat is due to the star’s intense radiation and the planet’s proximity to it.
However, as K2-141b moves further away from its star, it enters a region of space where the temperature plummets to -330°F (-200°C), colder than the surface of Pluto. This extreme temperature fluctuation is a result of the planet’s unique orbit and the lack of atmospheric insulation to retain heat. The planet’s surface temperature can drop to such lows that it would be inhospitable to any known form of life.
The discovery of K2-141b was made possible by the NASA’s Kepler space telescope, which has been instrumental in detecting thousands of exoplanets since its launch in 2009. The telescope’s primary mission was to search for exoplanets by measuring the dimming of a star’s light as a planet passes in front of it. In this case, the dimming of the star’s light was caused by K2-141b’s orbit, which allowed scientists to detect its presence.
According to Dr. Natalie Batalha, a researcher at NASA’s Ames Research Center and the Kepler mission’s science principal investigator, “K2-141b is an extraordinary discovery that challenges our understanding of planetary formation and evolution. The extreme temperature fluctuations on this planet make it an exciting target for future studies to better understand its composition and potential habitability.”
The discovery of K2-141b has significant implications for our understanding of planetary formation and the possibility of life beyond Earth. The fact that a planet can experience such extreme temperature fluctuations raises questions about the potential for life on this world. While the current conditions on K2-141b make it inhospitable to life as we know it, the possibility of life existing on other super-Earths with similar characteristics is an intriguing area of research.
In conclusion, the discovery of K2-141b, a newly-discovered super-Earth that heats up and freezes every 300 days, is a groundbreaking find that has the potential to revolutionize our understanding of planetary science. The extreme temperature fluctuations on this planet make it an exciting target for future research, and the possibility of life existing on other super-Earths with similar characteristics is an area of research that warrants further exploration.
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Note: The article is based on the NASA Science News article, and the information provided is accurate as of the publication date.
