Astronomers Discover New "Super-Earth" - Scientists say that the planet is right distance from its primary star that it may contain water.
Pollution, global warming and overpopulation are a drag. What if we could just start all over on a new “super-Earth?”
If you can travel 36 light-years – roughly 212 trillion miles – to a new planet discovered by astronomers, you might just be in luck.
The planet, referred to as HD85512b, is about 3.5 times the mass of Earth and may be close enough to its primary star to contain water. It was one of 50 new planets that astronomers in Chile announced Monday that they have discovered, the Washington Post reports. But don’t pack your bags just yet: Scientists are cautioning that there are still many questions that need to be answered before determining whether the planet is habitable.
For starters, it is unclear if HD85512b is rocky like earth or made up of gases or plasma like other planets. It also lies at the edge of the “habitable zone” of its star – a smaller, cooler version of the sun – which means surface temperatures could feel like “standing next to a bonfire,” according to one astronomer. With the high temperatures, there must be sufficient cloud cover to keep any water on the surface from boiling.
The new planets were detected by measuring “radial velocity,” or how fast a star wobbles depending on the gravitational pull from nearby planets. The astronomers were then able to estimate the mass of each planet based on the amount of force exerted on the stars, which revealed that 16 planets, including the new super-Earth, have large enough masses to suggest they are made of rock.
The next step is to capture an image of the planets to determine which ones have atmospheres. Studying the light in each image could also reveal physical characteristics, such as the presence of water or carbon dioxide. No existing telescope is sensitive enough for the task, but a new model set to be constructed next year will have its sights set firmly on learning more about the new planets, according to the Post.
The 50 new planets discovered this week are among about 650 that scientists have found since 1995. There is just one other potential super-Earth, known as Gliese 581d, which was detected by the same astronomers in Chile during 2007. ( slate.com )
Pollution, global warming and overpopulation are a drag. What if we could just start all over on a new “super-Earth?”
If you can travel 36 light-years – roughly 212 trillion miles – to a new planet discovered by astronomers, you might just be in luck.
The planet, referred to as HD85512b, is about 3.5 times the mass of Earth and may be close enough to its primary star to contain water. It was one of 50 new planets that astronomers in Chile announced Monday that they have discovered, the Washington Post reports. But don’t pack your bags just yet: Scientists are cautioning that there are still many questions that need to be answered before determining whether the planet is habitable.
For starters, it is unclear if HD85512b is rocky like earth or made up of gases or plasma like other planets. It also lies at the edge of the “habitable zone” of its star – a smaller, cooler version of the sun – which means surface temperatures could feel like “standing next to a bonfire,” according to one astronomer. With the high temperatures, there must be sufficient cloud cover to keep any water on the surface from boiling.
The new planets were detected by measuring “radial velocity,” or how fast a star wobbles depending on the gravitational pull from nearby planets. The astronomers were then able to estimate the mass of each planet based on the amount of force exerted on the stars, which revealed that 16 planets, including the new super-Earth, have large enough masses to suggest they are made of rock.
The next step is to capture an image of the planets to determine which ones have atmospheres. Studying the light in each image could also reveal physical characteristics, such as the presence of water or carbon dioxide. No existing telescope is sensitive enough for the task, but a new model set to be constructed next year will have its sights set firmly on learning more about the new planets, according to the Post.
The 50 new planets discovered this week are among about 650 that scientists have found since 1995. There is just one other potential super-Earth, known as Gliese 581d, which was detected by the same astronomers in Chile during 2007. ( slate.com )
Thank you for this kind of information. I was looking to arm myself against this kind of thinking as soon as I heard about the super earth.
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