Earth-like Exoplanet: The Discovery That Opens the Frontiers of Space

Ain is unique Webb Telescope Take a picture of the first exoplanet (exoplanet) orbiting another star (essentially another sun) and about the same size as Earth. This announcement was made by researchers fromhex (European Space Agency) confirms its size”It is equal to 99% of the Earth’s diameter“.

What is LHS 475b?

On the agency’s website, you can see some suggestive illustrations that artificially reproduce what the telescope has detected. The research team that made the discovery possible is led by Professors Kevin Stephenson and Jacob Lustig-Yeger, both of Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. The team indicated an accurate direction of the sky after examining data from a Satellites NASA (TES) who postulated the existence of a planet. Here it was “easy” for Webb’s spectrometer to take an image of an exoplanet. “There is no doubt that the planet exists. Webb’s raw data supports thisLustig Yeager told the press.The fact that it’s also a small, rocky planet is impressive for the observatoryStephenson added.

“split new paths”

As we have seen on Giornale.it, web shows are now well known after they have given us unusual and unpublished images of Jupiter and Neptune with their rings. Now, however, the discovery of a planet similar to ours will open the door for “a many future possibilities To study the atmospheres of rocky planets. added Mark Clampin, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. This telescope offers new ways to understand worlds like ours that lie outside the solar system.”And the task is just beginningHe added that of all the telescopes currently operating, Webb is the only one capable of capturing all the atmospheres of Earth-sized exoplanets.

The team also attempted to study the atmosphere of Lhs 475 b in detail by analyzing its transmission spectrum: in fact, until now it is not clear whether it has a real atmosphere, as we do. “Observatory data is beautiful. The telescope is so sensitive that it can easily detect a number of particles, but we cannot yet draw definitive conclusions about the planet’s atmosphere.said Erin May, a researcher at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. For now, the only thing the researchers have Removal is having atmospheredense, methane-dominated, similar to Saturn’s moon Titan“.

However, the presence of carbon dioxide has not been ruled out due to “It is more compact so that it is difficult to detectadded Lustig-Yaeger. To understand the exact composition in detail would require new and more detailed measurements to make the necessary distinctions.

hotter than Earth

The Webb telescope also revealed that this planet would be a few hundred degrees away warmer From Earth: If the clouds are detected, the researchers have come to the conclusion that it may be more similar to Venus which has a carbon dioxide atmosphere that is constantly surrounded by a dense cloud. Compared to our planet, it manages to complete its orbit in just two days, information that was revealed almost instantly by Webb’s delicate light curve. But what is far from us? LHS 475 b is relatively close: “only” 41 light-years away in the constellation Octant.