In 1995, a ground-based telescope was able to pick up a faint and wobbly signal of what looked like an exoplanet orbiting a star that looked a lot like the sun. It showed evidence to a cosmic question that many were asking. In fact, it was considered a breakthrough discovery that simply proves that there are other planets out there. They are planets that exist beyond the solar system where the Earth is a part of. It leaves scientists with a hint that there could be more out there and they are only waiting to be discovered.
Astrophysicist has then confirmed that there are about 4,00 exoplanets in existence and they are orbiting the stars across our Milky Way. Like the sun, these so-called stars are already in the main phase of their life, which means that they burn hot, bright and healthy.
But now, recent studies show a planetary body that orbits the white dwarf. This week, it was featured in an article published in the journal Science and the findings show that it is a first of its kind. Scientists have also expressed that this discovery may give us an idea of what life on earth would be like when the sun begins to die.
Christopher Manser, a researcher from the University of Warwick, along with his team of scientists discovered the planet using the method of spectroscopy. This process involves the analysis of the various wavelengths of light that comes from the gas disk surrounding the white dwarf. This is the first time that this type of method was used to identify a planetary body that exists in space.
The Gran Telescopio Canarias in La Palma Spain was the telescope that the team used. They observed the "color of the light that was emitted by the calcium in the disk." From there, the team collected the spectrum of light released every two to three-minute intervals.
"This technique allowed the team to look into the subtle but present color changes in the disk," Manser revealed. They were able to see these changes as the disk moves closer and farther away from the Earth. The Doppler Wobble -- this is the term used to describe such shift. This term is likened to that of the doppler that seems to make the pitch of the police siren to change as the car drives by.
"As a form of detection, the change in color was used to identify if there were any planet-like structure orbiting the Earth within the period of two hours," Manser added. The team considers this discovery as something planetesimal because of its relatively small size.
This discovery reveals a lot about what happens to planets when they form around a white dwarf. Manser is hopeful that the spectroscopy method could also help scientist detect the presence of more stars and gas disks to understand the life cycle of planets better.
He further added, "We want to hunt for the next one."
