“Rare Earth Metal Terbium Discovered on Exoplanet KELT-9b – Implications for Exoplanet Age Detection and Life Search”

Jakarta –

Astronomers have detected rare earth metals in the atmosphere of the exoplanet KELT-9b, which is a planet outside the solar system. This rare element was first discovered in a place very far away.

Nicholas Borsato, an astrophysicist from Lund University, Sweden said that they have devised a new method to obtain more detailed information in space.

It was this method that allowed Borsato to discover tardium, in addition to vanadium, barium, strontium, nickel and others. Science Alert.

According to the researchers, this finding is quite surprising because KELT-9b is one of the most extreme exoplanets with very hot temperatures.

During the day, the temperature at KELT-9b reaches its hottest temperature, which is more than 4,327 degrees Celsius. The temperature is higher than 80 percent of the stars in the Milky Way Galaxy. Because of that, scientists consider it lucky to be able to detect it in its atmosphere.

Furthermore, this one of the rarest elements with atomic number 65 is generally found in trace amounts. According to the researchers, the discovery of terbium on the exoplanet KELT-9b was beyond expectations. On Earth itself, terbium itself is generally found mixed with other elements.

The heavy elements in KELT-9b’s atmosphere are thought to have formed from one of the cataclysmic events. Examples include supernova explosions and/or collisions between two neutron stars.

Benefits of the Discovery of Terbium

Exoplanet Age Detection

As it turns out, the discovery of this element helped researchers determine the age of the exoplanet KELT-9b and how it formed. It is only about 300 million years old, relatively young compared to Earth’s age of around 4.543 billion years.

Due to its relatively young age, the exoplanet KELT-9b is expected to contain elements that are heavier and more varied. This is because these elements are thought to have formed from the accumulation of incoming material from the explosion or collision of other, older stars.

Second Earth Detection

Borsato said that the detection of life outside the solar system and its parent star, which is not the Sun, will also be assisted by the discovery of biological material in exoplanet atmospheres.

He added, he and his team will continue to study how the atmospheres of planets work by detecting heavy elements in them. The more familiar these planets are, he continued, the greater the chance of finding a second Earth in the future.

Watch Video “Broken Earth“

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