Mysterious planets orbit the star M.
A team of astronomers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with other experts managed to find two planets orbiting a star named HD 260655. It is located only 33 light-years from Earth.
The newly discovered planetary system is thus one of the closest systems we know so far. According to the latest data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), the planets are rocky, as are Mercury, Venus, Mars and Earth.
Orbit HD 260655b is about 1.2 times larger, twice as massive and slightly denser than our homeland. Planet HD 260655c is 1.5 times the size of Earth, weighs three times as much, but is less dense. The center of the system is a small cool M-type dwarf star designated HD 260655.
Planets and the star M
The planets orbit the star relatively quickly. It takes them an average of just 4.2 Earth days. With orbits very close to the sun, their surfaces are very hot. They can reach temperatures of 436.85 °C and 286.85 °C. Unfortunately, the roundabouts are uninhabitable. Moreover, under these ambient conditions, it is unlikely that there would be liquid water on them.
Another ocean is hidden beneath the earth’s crust. Life on Earth wouldn’t stand a chance without it
reading for 4 minutes
–
–
–
–
However, scientists are excited about the discovery. “The proximity and brightness of a star can give us insight into the properties of planets. We already have a lot of questions. What substances make up their atmosphere? Is carbon or hydrogen present on their surface? These planets are great places to explore,” says astronomer Michelle Kunimoto, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
Chinese scientists say they may have detected a signal from extraterrestrial intelligence
reading for 4 minutes
–
–
–
–
At the same time, experts assume that there could be other planets in the system that would not only be similar to Earth, but also have water on them. Such small systems normally contain up to six circulars.
Searching for exoplanets
The discovery and determination of the basic data of the entire system took place in record time. Transits of the star HD 260655 were recorded last October when Michelle Kunimoto analyzed incoming data from the TESS satellite. She noticed the variability of the star’s gravity.
–
Source: Youtube
The same signals were recorded by the HIRES (High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer) instrument at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Spanish CARMENES telescope. “It was incredible luck. The process of classifying and then confirming new planets can often take several years, we managed to do it in six months,” says the astronomer. She presented her discovery on June 15 this year at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Pasadena, California.
Source:
www.br.atsit.in, www.sciencemag.cz, www.news.mit.edu
–
