Scientists discover an Earth-sized exoplanet covered in volcanoes

May 18, 2023  16:07

Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet, LP 791-18d, located 90 light-years away and seemingly completely covered in volcanoes. According to NASA, eruptions on this planet probably happen as often as on Jupiter's moon Io, which is the most geologically active object in the Solar System.

This is what LP 791-18 d might look like (this is not a real image of the exoplanet, but an artist's work).


LP-791-18d-exoplanet

The gravitational pull of the more massive planet (shown as the blue disc in the background) could cause LP 791-18 d to heat up internally and erupt.

One side of LP 791-18d always faces its star (like the Moon does to Earth). The side of the planet that is constantly in the daytime is probably too hot for liquid water to exist on its surface. At the same time, LP 791-18d is located at the inner edge of the habitable zone, in which, as scientists believe, liquid water may exist on the surface of the planets. If the planet is as geologically active as researchers suspect, it could retain an atmosphere and moisture could condense on the other side of the planet, where it's always night.

Ground-based telescopes, as well as the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) space telescope and archival data from the now-defunct Spitzer Space Telescope helped find this exoplanet.

Scientists plan to study the exoplanet with the James Webb space telescope.


 
 
 
 
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