Planet Gliese 486 b has been categorized as super-earth. Researchers say it is unlikely to hide life and, in fact, can be quite unfriendly: dry and hot, like Venus, with presumably lava flows on its surface.
However, due to its proximity to the Earth and its physical properties, it is very suitable for
a new generation of space telescopes and terrestrial telescopes is examining its atmosphere.
The first such device could be NASA’s James Webb space telescope, which is scheduled to launch in October.
In this way, they can obtain data that can be used to decipher the atmosphere of other exoplanets far from the Solar System, including those that are suitable for life.
Scientists have already discovered more than 4,300 exoplanets (extrasolar planets), several of which are large gas planets similar to Jupiter.
Others are smaller, Earth-like rock planets that are thought to have the conditions to provide life. However, with the scientific tools currently available, little can be learned about their atmosphere.
“An exoplanet must have the right physical properties and trajectory to be suitable for atmospheric research,” said Trifon Trifonov, a planetary researcher at the Max Planck Astronomical Institute in Germany and lead author of research published in the scientific journal Science.
Superlands are extrasolar planets (exoplanets) that have a mass greater than that of Earth but are lighter than gas giants like Neptune, Saturn, or Jupiter. This is our galaxy, the most common planet type in the Milky Way. In terms of their composition, they can be rock planets, they can consist of gases, but they can also be mixed celestial bodies.
The mass of the Gliese 486 b is 2.8 times that of Earth, about 26.3 light-years from Earth, making it one of the nearest exoplanets.
It orbits a red dwarf that is smaller, cooler, and less bright than the Sun, weighing roughly one-third of our star.
Because the Gliese 486 b orbits very close to its star, it is exposed to strong radiation. Like Earth, it has a rock planet, presumably a metallic core. Its surface temperature can be around 430 degrees Celsius, and its surface gravitational force is 70 percent stronger than that of Earth.
Gliese 486 b cannot be inhabited, at least not in the way the Earth does. You probably have a very thin atmosphere, if you have one at all. Nevertheless, it is an ideal subject for the use of instruments that study the atmosphere of Earth-like planets.
The chemical composition of the atmosphere reveals a great deal about a planet and whether it is suitable for life.
Nyitókép: PIxabay
– .
