Newly-Discovered Super-Earth Heats Up & Freezes Every 300 Days
The search for exoplanets has led to some remarkable discoveries in recent years, and the latest addition to the list is a “super-Earth” that is taking the scientific community by storm. This newly-discovered planet, which orbits a Sun-like star just 20 light-years from Earth, is unique in its extreme climate patterns. The planet, which is classified as a “super-Earth” due to its size, swings between scorching hot temperatures and freezing cold ones every 300 days, making it an fascinating subject of study for astrobiologists and planetary scientists.
The discovery was announced by NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration program, which is dedicated to exploring the vast expanse of the universe and uncovering its secrets. According to the program’s website, the new exoplanet, designated as K2-141b, is a “super-Earth” due to its size, which is larger than Earth but smaller than the gas giants Neptune and Uranus.
K2-141b orbits its star in an oval shape, which is known as an eccentric orbit. This means that the planet’s distance from its star varies significantly throughout its orbit, resulting in extreme temperature fluctuations. When the planet is closest to its star, it experiences temperatures of up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,649 degrees Celsius), making it hotter than the surface of Mercury. On the other hand, when it is farthest from its star, the temperature drops to as low as -200 degrees Fahrenheit (-129 degrees Celsius), making it colder than the surface of Neptune.
The extreme climate patterns on K2-141b are due to its unique orbit, which is influenced by the gravitational pull of its star and the other planets in the system. The star, which is similar to the Sun in terms of size and temperature, is likely to be a G-type main-sequence star, also known as a G-dwarf. This type of star is stable and long-lived, making it an ideal candidate for hosting planets.
The discovery of K2-141b was made possible by the Kepler space telescope, which is a NASA spacecraft designed to detect exoplanets by measuring the tiny dips in a star’s brightness as a planet passes in front of it. The telescope has been instrumental in the discovery of thousands of exoplanets since its launch in 2009, and it continues to be an important tool in the search for life beyond Earth.
The search for life on K2-141b is an exciting area of research, and scientists are eager to learn more about this fascinating planet. The extreme climate patterns on the planet make it an unlikely candidate for hosting life as we know it, but it is possible that microorganisms could thrive in the planet’s hot and cold regions.
In conclusion, the discovery of K2-141b is a significant milestone in the search for exoplanets and the study of planetary science. The planet’s extreme climate patterns and unique orbit make it an fascinating subject of study, and scientists are eager to learn more about this new world. As we continue to explore the universe and uncover its secrets, we may yet discover other planets like K2-141b, each with its own unique features and characteristics.
