Astronomers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered a very hot planet whose one year consists of only eight hours. This planet is also extraordinary, because it is one of the lightest planets ever found outside the solar system. This planet named GJ 367b is located 31 light years from the sun, and is an example of an ultra-short-period planet. GJ 367b is so close to its star, GJ 376, that it receives 500 times more radiation than Earth receives from the sun. GJ 367 b is also tidally locked, meaning one side of the planet is permanently facing its star or is always daylight. This results in daytime temperatures of around 2,700 degrees Fahrenheit (1,482 degrees Celsius). With these extreme temperatures, the planet GJ 367b also seems to have lost its atmosphere some time ago. Due to its relatively close distance to Earth compared to other ultra-short period planets, astronomers found that the surface of GJ 367b is rocky with a dense core of iron and nickel. This core extends through nearly 90 percent of the planet's interior, similar to Mercury's core.
"We found a planet the size of Mars that has the composition of Mercury," said Roland Vanderspek, principal research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
"It's one of the smallest planets detected to date, and revolves around an M dwarf in a very tight orbit."
The discovery, detailed in a paper published in the journal Science, could help researchers learn more about how extreme systems of ultra-short-period planets evolved. In addition, astronomers will examine these systems to see if any planets around GJ 367b could inhabited.
"For this class of stars, the habitable zone will be somewhere near orbit for a month," said George Ricker, senior research scientist at MIT's Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.
"Because this star is so close and so bright, we have a good chance of seeing other planets in this system.
"There seems to be a sign that says, 'Look here for extra planets!'"
The team looked at GJ 367b using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which identifies exoplanets as they cross the face of their host star by looking at the small, periodic drops in light that these transits cause. TESS has so far proven very successful in finding exoplanets, with this transit method. . In April 2021, NASA spacecraft detected more than 2,200 worlds outside the solar system.
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