Artist’s rendering of the exoplanet TOI-1452 b, a small planet that may be completely covered by a … [+] deep ocean
Benoit Gougeon, University of Montreal
Researchers in Canada have discovered an exoplanet, a planet orbiting another star, just 100 light-years from Earth that is likely covered in water.
TOI-1452 b orbits one of two small stars in a binary system located in the constellation Draco “the dragon”. This is the northern sky as seen from Earth, near the Big Dipper.
Published today in The Astronomical Journal, the study reveals a world that is slightly larger in size and mass than Earth and lies in its star’s “habitable zone” between the frost line and the “zone of boiling” where liquid water can exist.
The authors believe it could be an “ocean planet,” a planet completely covered by a thick layer of water. They compare this to the moons of Jupiter, Ganymede and Callisto and the moons of Saturn, Titan and Enceladus, which are suspected of having subsurface global oceans.
Its location is fortuitous because Draco is a circumpolar constellation that is always visible at night in the northern sky. It is also close enough to study its atmosphere. “Our observations with the Webb telescope will be essential to better understand TOI-1452 b,” said René Doyon, a professor at the University of Montreal and director of the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) and the Observatoire du Mont-Mégantic (WMO). who participated in the NIRISS component of the space telescope. “As soon as we can, we will set aside time on Webb to observe this strange and wonderful world.”
Artist’s rendering of the surface of TOI-1452 b, which could be an “ocean planet,” meaning a … [+] planet completely covered by a thick layer of liquid water.
Benoit Gougeon, University of Montreal
Found by NASA’s TESS space telescope and studied at the WMO, TOI-1452 b is not Earth-like. The study reveals a planet that is about 70% larger than Earth. It revolves around one of two red dwarf stars, which in turn orbit each other. This may sound strange, but it is much more common than the only star in our solar system.
It took more than 50 hours of observation to estimate the mass of the planet, which is believed to be nearly five times that of Earth. Scientists believe it is rocky, like Earth, but instead of water making up 1% of Earth’s mass, in TOI-1452 b it may be as much as 30%.
It is thought that TOI-1452 b may be an example of a theorized class of “ocean planets” that are between the size of Earth and Neptune and whose density can only be explained by the presence of lots of water.
“TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet we’ve found so far,” said Charles Cadieux, Ph.D. student at the University of Montreal and member of iREx. “Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than would be expected for a planet that is made up primarily of metal and rock, like Earth.”
I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.