Jakarta –
Scientists discovered a planet-like object 70 light years from Earth. Uniquely, this celestial body has two stars.
The object, which has the mass of about 20 Jupiter planets, has temperatures that can quickly melt aluminum and an orbit that is 10,000 years old. On top of that, there was a continuous sandstorm there.
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to obtain the highest-fidelity observations of the planet-mass object. This space object is called VHS 1256 b.
This discovery was published last year in the journal arXiv and has gone through a peer review process. His research will be published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
There is Water in the Atmosphere
The team of astronomers identified many components of VHS 1256 b’s atmosphere. Methane, carbon monoxide, water and carbon dioxide have been detected in the atmosphere.
“No other telescope has identified so many features at once for a single target,” said astrophysicist Paul Molière of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, quoted from Science Alert.
“We see many molecules in a single spectrum from JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) detailing the dynamic clouds and weather systems of the planet,” he added.
Still Mysterious
VHS 1256 b is a bit confusing to astronomers. Its mass is outside the boundary between a giant planet and a brown dwarf planet.
The object is a “failed star” that is not massive enough to melt hydrogen but can melt the heavier hydrogen isotope deuterium in its core, and has a lower fusion temperature and pressure than hydrogen.
“VHS 1256 b is about four times farther from its star than Pluto is from our Sun, which makes it a good target for Webb,” said astronomer Brittany Miles of the University of Arizona, who led the international research team. “That means the planet’s light doesn’t mix with the light from its stars.”
VHS 1256 b is a very young object, only 150 million years old. The atmosphere, where sand clouds can be found, reaches 830 degrees Celsius or 1,526 degrees Fahrenheit.
Research on the findings of VHS 1256 b has been published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Watch Video “Note! 5 Aligned Planets Will Appear at the End of March“
(nah/faz)
