Astronomers have identified a new rocky world around 36.5 light-years distant from Earth, adding to the extensive list of exoplanets. The exoplanet, known as Ross 508b, orbits a star named Ross 508 and has a mass four times that of our planet.
Another interesting aspect of this finding is that astronomers have classified this rocky planet as a super-Earth since it orbits its star in the habitable zone.
The exoplanet was discovered by a new survey utilizing the Subaru Telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) in Hawaii.
It's also noteworthy since it revealed the usefulness of new approaches for locating exoplanets orbiting faint stars.
Researchers published their study in the Astronomical Society of Japan's Publications and is available on arXiv.
Meet Ross 508b: Is It Habitable?
Ross 508b orbits its star every 10.75 days. The Sun it orbits is considerably fainter than Earth's, although it appears to be very near the star.
The stellar radiation that hits Ross 508 b is only 1.4 times the solar radiation hitting the Earth, according to Science Alert.
Republic World pointed out that Ross 508 is a red dwarf star, which means it has lower energy and radiation than other stars.
The Sun added that the Earth will be rocky rather than gaseous. Despite its close proximity to Earth, the extraterrestrial planet is not visible to the human eye.
Supererde in der Nähe der „bewohnbaren Zone“ ihres Sterns gefunden. Aber ist es wirklich bewohnbar?
— F. Mosel🪐 (@friedhelm_mosel) June 2, 2022
Die Anwesenheit eines Supererde-Exoplaneten Ross 508b ist kürzlich ans Licht gekommen, der sich innerhalb der „bewohnbaren Zone“ seines Sterns befindet
nasa pic.twitter.com/JHnHf2m5zj
Even with sophisticated detectors, detecting planets around faint or dimmer stars is extremely challenging.
It suggests that astronomers' techniques for identifying exoplanets are improving, as evidenced by this recent discovery.
Habitable Zone Explained
Mint, citing the study finding, pointed out the effectiveness of the techniques used to find tiny planets near faint stars. Still, the exoplanet is unlikely to be suitable for life as people know it,
The nature of what we think those exoplanets to be like has hindered the search for habitable exoplanets.
Earth is the only model people have - a tiny planet circling a star at a distance where temperatures are suitable for liquid water on the surface. It is referred to as the 'habitable zone.'
Obviously, these aren't the only things at play - Mars, for example, is within the Sun's habitable zone - but they're the simplest to spot.
While tracking the movement of a small group of stars, the exoplanet was identified. The NOAJ Subaru Telescope was used to discover it.
Astronomers have been searching for a planet similar to Earth that can host life for decades.
NASA has detected over 5,000 exoplanets so far, some of which potentially support life. Researchers are primarily interested in "super-Earths" among these exoplanets.
Super-Earths are exoplanets with a mass more than Earth's but less than Uranus' and Neptune's, 14.5 and 17 times Earth's mass, respectively.
The new James Webb Space Telescope from Nasa will soon look at two hot super-Earth planets, one of which has lava-like oceans.
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