The Universe is a deep mystery, and astronomers and other experts are constantly trying to unravel one or the other secret through their research. A recent study discovered a hot and rocky exoplanet known as super-Earth. This planet is present in the Milky Way and is believed to orbit one of the oldest stars in the Milky Way.
According to a report published in the CNNthe super-Earth is called an exoplanet because it is outside the solar system. The reason behind the name is that the super-Earth has three times the mass of the Earth and is about 50% larger than the Earth. This planet is also known as TOI-561b.
According to the experts, the super-Earth can complete orbit around its star in less than half an Earth day. As for the temperature of this planet, it is somewhere around 3140+ degrees Fahrenheit. The surface temperature is a result of the star’s proximity. Stephen Kane, co-author of the study and astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside, confirmed the information about the orbital time in a statement. He said that for every day that someone spends on Earth, the exoplanet orbits its star twice.
The next obvious question that comes to mind here is how this planet named TOI-561b was discovered. The experts had found this planet via the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission launched in 2018 by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The said planet was found in the thick galactic disk of the Milky Way Galaxy. To be completely sure of their findings, the experts went to the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii to determine the mass, radius and density of the super Earth. Understanding the mass and radius helps astronomers learn more about its internal structure.
Their findings were shocking when they found that while the planet’s mass is three times that of Earth, its density is almost the same. Stephen Kane responded, “This is surprising because you would expect the density to be higher.”
He also said this planet is incapable of sustaining habitable life. Stephen added that knowing the interior of the planet helps to understand whether the planet’s surface is habitable or not. “While this particular planet is unlikely to be inhabited today, it may be a precursor to many rocky worlds yet to be discovered around our galaxy’s oldest stars,” he added.