Kempton notes that while the planet is hot by human standards, it is much colder than expected. This is because, to the surprise of researchers, its unusually bright atmosphere reflects most of the light from its parent star rather than absorbing and warming it.
The new observations could open the door to deeper knowledge about the types of planets shrouded in uncertainty. Mini-Neptunes – or sub-Neptunes as they are called in the newspapers – are the most common type of planet in the galaxy, but mysterious to us because they do not occur in our solar system. Measurements so far suggest it closely resembles, say, a miniature copy of our own Neptune. Beyond that, little is known.
“For the last decade or so, the only thing we really knew about this planet is that it has a cloudy or foggy atmosphere,” said Rob Zelm, an exoplanet researcher who worked with co-author and exoplanet research co-author Tiffany Kataria on NASA’s Jet. . Propulsion Laboratory”. in Southern California. “This paper has very impressive implications for additional detailed climate explanations – to look at the detailed physics that occur in the atmosphere of this planet.”
The new work suggests the planet may have formed far from its star, a type known as a red dwarf, and then rotated gradually into its current near orbit. One planetary year – one orbit around the star – takes only 1.6 Earth days.
“The simplest explanation, if you find a planet that is very rich in water, it forms far from its host star,” said Kempton.
Further observations are needed to determine more details about GJ 1214 b as well as the formation dates of other planets in the Neptune minor class. While an aqueous atmosphere seems likely on this planet, a significant methane component is also possible. Drawing any broader conclusions about how mini-Neptune formed will require more in-depth observations.
“By looking at lots of things like this, we hope to build a consistent story,” said Kempton.
2023-05-10 16:22:53
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