They discover a giant Earth with extreme temperatures and possibly without an atmosphere 65 light years away

Astronomers from the University of Kansas have discovered that GJ 1252 b, a super-hot super-Earth discovered in 2020, could have Minimal or no atmosphere.

The planet orbiting an M-type star. “The smallest exoplanet to date with such severe restrictions on its atmosphere”Lead author Ian Crossfield, an astronomer and assistant professor at the University of Kansas, whose findings are published in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

GJ1252b, About 65 light years With a radius 1.18 times larger than Earth, it was detected using the “transit method” – based on the light it blocks as it passes in front of host stars – by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2020.

In this study, astronomers observed the exoplanet using the Spitzer Space Telescope and discovered secondary eclipsewhich occurs when a planet passes behind a star and the light from the former is blocked, which comes from its own infrared radiation (or heat) and reflected light from the star.

“We are just beginning to know how often rocky planets are under what conditions They can maintain their ambiance”, was detailed by astronomer and study co-author Laura Kreidberg, Director of Atmospheric Physics for Exoplanets (APEx Division at the Max Planck Institute).

He added: “This measurement is an indication that the hotter planets, The dense atmosphere is unlikely to survive usually”.

The gold will melt

To determine what an exoplanet’s atmosphere (if any) might look like, astronomers measured infrared radiation from GJ 1252 b as its light dimmed during a secondary eclipse. These observations revealed the scorching day-side temperature of the planet, estimated to be 1,228 degrees Celsius. In fact, this star is so hot that Gold, silver and copper will melt on this planet.

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The expected temperatures of an exoplanet, compared with atmospheric models, indicate that its surface pressure is likely less than 10 bar (For reference, the pressure at the Earth’s surface is about 1 bar). To be stable for a long time, it is possible for this exoplanet to have an atmosphere as dense as Earth’s, up to 10 times as dense as Earth’s or even none at all.

Due to the extreme temperatures and low surface pressure, astronomers on this team predicted that GJ 1252 b Maybe there is no atmosphere.