SPACE — Astronomers discover the presence of water vapor on the smallest exoplanet ever discovered. The exoplanet named GJ 9827d only has twice the diameter of Earth.
GJ 9827d is a hot and steamy world. However, whether the exoplanet is rocky like Earth or a mini-Neptune is still an interesting question to answer.
This exoplanet is located about 97 light years from Earth, in the direction of the constellation Pisces. This discovery is of interest to scientists who are trying to find the potential for life outside Earth.
However, it’s worth noting that the GJ 9827d itself is not livable. The surface is inhospitable to life as we know it.
This exoplanet is very hot, with a surface temperature reaching around 430 C. This figure is almost equivalent to the temperature of Venus in our solar system. In fact, this temperature is high enough to melt lead.
Researchers first published their findings in their peer-reviewed paper in The Astrophysical Journal Letters on September 12, 2023.
They suggest that this discovery may indicate that small planets with water content may be more common than we previously thought.
A Hot and Steamy Exoplanet World
The Kepler space telescope discovered GJ 9827d in 2017. This exoplanet orbited its red dwarf star in just 6.2 days. Now, GJ 9827d is the smallest exoplanet whose atmosphere contains water vapor.
One of the study’s lead authors, Björn Benneke of the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the University of Montreal, Canada, said this is the first time that planets with water vapor-rich atmospheres can actually exist around other stars.
“This is an important step towards a deeper understanding of how common and diverse atmospheres are on rocky planets,” said Benneke, as reported by Earth Sky.
This discovery is also an important step in the search for other rocky planets that contain water on their surfaces. Co-principal investigator Laura Kreidberg of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany said water on a planet this small was an important discovery.
“This brings us closer than ever to describing a truly Earth-like planet.”
The Hubble Telescope has observed GJ 9827d during 11 transits over three years. However, it is currently unknown whether the planet has clouds in its atmosphere.
2024-02-02 09:19:00
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