The discovery of the thinnest planet ever... 580 light years from Earth
Scientists recently discovered a gas giant planet with a density similar to a marshmallow plant, orbiting a cold red dwarf star located 580 light years from Earth. The planet, which has been identified as TOI-3757 b, is the "most delicate" of all, according to the National Science Foundation NOIRLab, which operates some of the telescopes used in the research.
According to a press release, the newly discovered exoplanet has a diameter of 150,000 km, making it slightly larger than Jupiter, the largest in our solar system. It orbits its host star once every 3.5 days. The research team calculated its average density as 0.27 grams per cube, about a quarter the density of water, which means it would float if placed in a giant bathtub filled with water.
Red dwarfs are the smaller, lighter stars that convert hydrogen into helium in their cores at a constant rate. Although they are cooler than the Sun, red dwarfs are very energetic and emit powerful flares, thus making it rare for planets to form around them.
" Giant planets around red dwarf stars are traditionally thought to be difficult to form," said Shubham Kanudia, a researcher at the Carnegie Institution for Earth and Planetary Laboratory of the Carnegie Institution for Science. "So far this has only been seen with small samples of Doppler surveys, which have usually found giant planets far from these red dwarf stars .in a powerful way," he added.
The team of researchers said there are still unexplained mysteries surrounding TOI-3757 b, the largest of which is how the planet could have formed, especially with its low density. However, they made clear two main factors.
First, the planet could have fewer heavy elements in its rocky core than other gas giants, which could delay how the gas builds up and lower its density. Second, the planet's slightly elliptical orbit could cause significant overheating that could cause the planet's atmosphere to inflate.
"Potential future observations of the planet's atmosphere using NASA's new James Webb Space Telescope can help shed light on its bloated nature," said Jessica Libby Roberts, a postdoctoral researcher at Penn State University.
Astronomers believe the research can help them understand what planets are made of and how they form. It could also help them learn more about the strange atmosphere of a newly discovered exoplanet.
Source: websites