An international team of researchers led by the University of Bern has discovered a “sub-Neptune” exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star. It is the most eccentric planet orbiting a cool star that has ever been discovered.
The highly irregular orbit of TOI-2257 b rules out the possibility of life developing despite favorable conditions: “While the average temperature of the planet is pleasant, it fluctuates between minus 80 and about 100 degrees Celsius, depending on where the planet is in its orbit is located, whether far or near the star, “explained the researchers in a statement on Friday.
Using extremely complex methods, the scientists have calculated an orbital period for the exoplanet of 35 days. Since red stars are much cooler than our sun, liquid water would be possible at this distance from the host star, which would enable life to arise.
But the large temperature fluctuations resulting from the irregular orbit are not the only reason why the TOI-2257b is uninhabitable. Its radius – more than twice that of the earth – suggests that the planet is rather gaseous and that the atmospheric pressure is high, which is not conducive to the creation of life. Still, the eccentric exoplanet is a worthwhile research object and a good candidate to be observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which launched this Christmas.
TOI-2257 b is well positioned and one of the most attractive sub-Neptune targets for further observations. “In particular, the planet could be examined for signs of features such as water vapor in the atmosphere,” says Nicole Schanche from the Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) at the University of Bern. She is the lead author of a study on the newly discovered exoplanet that was recently published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The task of the Center for Space and Habitability is to promote the dialogue and interaction between the various scientific disciplines interested in the formation, discovery and characterization of other worlds inside and outside the solar system.
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