Exoplanets can have lava atmospheres

Exploration of the planet could solve a mystery that scientists have been grappling with for a long time.

A recently found exoplanet may be noisy NASA light on one The strangest secrets Throwing the ark. Many exoplanets are similar in size or slightly smaller than Earth. Larger exoplanets are found farther away from their own suns. between the planets 1.5 and 2 times larger than the Earth very rare.

Why is that still mystery. Small exoplanets orbit very close to their parent star Hardly any atmosphere to have. The researchers estimate that without the protective atmosphere, solar radiation would have continued to erode the upper layers of rocky planets over time.

10 times the mass with twice the volume

200 light years away TOI-1075b It is such a sample. However, he does have one 1.8 times the radius of the Earth And owns about 10 times the mass as our planet. This rules it out as a gas planet, most likely made of rock, like Mercury, Mars or Venus.

TOI-1075b was designed by NASA Transiting an exoplanet survey satellite (TESS), which specifically searches for exoplanets. The satellite measures the brightness of distant stars. If only this minimum decreases, there is a good chance that the planet has moved between the star and the satellite. through this minimumstellar eclipseSatellite size can be calculated.

So TOI-1075b was discovered, whose star – TOI-1075 – was all of it 14.5 hours circled The planet’s weight can also be determined by the radiation from the star. Because although the star is responsible for most of the gravity in a planetary-stellar system, the mass of the planet also affects the star. This manifests itself in every Slight wiggle of the star, which also affects the intensity of the light.

An atmosphere of mineral silicate vapor is possible

With mass and volume, you can now easily calculate density. With TOI-1075b, that’s 9.3 grams per cubic centimeter – almost twice the density of Earth. The question now is how it can stay so big near its own sun. According to the researchers Atmosphere is unlikely – but it could silicate metal vapor Protects the rock from the sun.

TOI-1075b could be very hot due to its proximity to its star (1050 degrees Celsius) that its surface consists entirely of lava. this is lava sea anyone can An atmosphere of evaporated rock Researchers say the shape that protects the planet from erosion Scientific alert.

James Webb to define the atmosphere

Fortunately there James Webb Space Telescope, which is powerful enough to answer such questions. Studying the planet with a space telescope can show what TOI-1075b’s atmosphere has. This could reveal previously unknown characteristics of planet formation and evolution.