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The European Space Agency (ESA) has discovered a new exoplanet orbiting a star that can see the sun with the naked eye.
While studying two known planets orbiting the Nu 2 Lupi star in the Chai Long galaxy 50 light years from Earth, ESA astronomers suddenly discovered an unusual object moving in front of the star. This star. Using the observations of the CHEOPS telescope, the team identified it as an Exoplanet and named it Nu2 Lupi d.
Nu2 Lupi b and c (two previously known planets) have orbits of only 11.6 and 27.6 days, respectively, and Nu2 Lupi is the farthest planet in the system in 107.6 days to complete an orbit around the host star. This is the first time in more than 100 days that an exoplanet has been detected passing in front of a star bright enough to be seen with the naked eye.
Simulation of the three planets that make the Nu2 Lupi star shine like the Sun. Image: I.A.C..
Nu2 Lupi b, c and d all transcend planets, i.e. they are seen moving in front of their host star, thus changing its brightness. “Intermediate systems such as the Nu2 Lupi are very important in improving our understanding of how planets form and form,” said Laedia Delres, a researcher at the University of Liege in Belgium.
Based on the most accurate calculations of CHEOPS, combined with the observations of ground-based telescopes, Delres and colleagues estimate that the Nu2 Lupi d is 2.5 times the radius, 8 times heavier and 8 times larger.
Unlike Nu2 Lupi b, which is mostly rocky, the new Exoplanet appears to contain large amounts of water and is surrounded by an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium similar to Nu2 Lupi c. The group considers that a quarter of the mass of Nu2 Lupi d is water, a much larger number than our Earth, but that this water is not a liquid, but rather a high-pressure rock or vapor.
“In terms of its general properties and orbit, Nu2 Lupi d would be an excellent target for studying temperate-atmospheric exoplanets orbiting a star like the Sun,” Delres added.
This amazing discovery also demonstrates the power of the CHEOPS telescope in the search for new exoplanets. Its approach and high accuracy were very useful in detecting planetary changes around individual stars.
Don Duong (As stated therein Science Daily)
