Scientists this week announced a discovery recently.super worldThis could potentially support life, and he calls it the “water world.”
set Managed by the University of MontrealFrom NASA’s Transit Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), also for detecting telescopes on the ground exoplanetDescribed as potentially rocky like Earth, but larger. It orbits a red dwarf star called TOI-1452 b, about 100 light-years from our planet, which scientists say is “pretty close.”
Scientists have long theorized the possibility of other oceanic planets, but it has been difficult to confirm. TOI-1452 b is roughly 70% larger than Earth and about five times its mass, which would be consistent with having a very deep ocean – but more research is still needed.
NASA says The planet could also potentially be a massive rock with little or no atmosphere, or even a rocky planet with an atmosphere of hydrogen or helium.
Benoît Gougeon, University of Montreal
A year at TOI-1452 b lasts just 11 days, but it receives as much light from its smaller, cooler star as Venus does from the sun. Despite its close orbit, it’s in the “habitable zone,” meaning it could have highly desirable liquid water on its surface.
If this “one-of-a-kind” exoplanet were confirmed to be a water world, its ocean would be significantly deeper than Earth’s. While our planet is 70% water, while the oceans make up less than 1% of the planet’s mass, it could account for 30% of the water mass in TOI-1452 b, according to one simulation.
“TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet we’ve ever found,” he said. study leader Charles Cadieux. “The radius and mass indicate a much lower density than would be expected for a planet like Earth that is mainly composed of metal and rock.”
If this simulation is correct, it would make the planet comparable to the watery moons in our solar system. of Jupiter Ganymede and Callisto, which scientists believe hide deep oceans beneath their surface.
Benoit Gougeon, University of Montreal.
this James Webb Space Telescope It’s on a mission to understand the origin of our universe, but the researchers say it may take some time to observe TOI-1452 b, which appears “by chance” in the Draco constellation it is part of. The sky Webb could see most of the year.
“Our observations with the Webb Telescope will be crucial to better understanding TOI-1452 b,” said researcher René Doyon, who works with one of the James Webb Space Telescope’s four scientific instruments. “As soon as possible, we will take time out at Webb to observe this strange and wonderful world.”
