Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet located 90 light-years away from Earth with a potentially rich atmosphere that may contain water clouds.
Context
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet located 90 light-years away from Earth with a potentially rich atmosphere that may contain water clouds.
About TOI-1231 b
- This exoplanet is more than three and a half times as big as Earth.
- The exoplanet orbits a red-dwarf star, which is “smaller but longer-lived” than the Sun.
- It revolves once around the star in a year that is 24 days long.
- Despite the proximity to the star, TOI-1231 b is relatively cool because the red-dwarf star is also on the cooler side.
- Tailed planet:This star-and-planet system is moving at a high velocity away from Earth, the hydrogen atoms from the atmosphere of TOI-1231 b could also be detected, which means the planet could turn out to have a ‘tail’.
- Significance: The exoplanet could offer scientists the chance to capture a “bar-code” type reading of the atmosphere of a temperate planet orbiting another star.
- This will allow comparisons with similar worlds elsewhere in the galaxy, bringing potentially deep insights into the composition and formation of exoplanets and planetary systems, including our own.
- The scientists might see evidence of clouds, perhaps even made of water, in the exoplanet's atmosphere.
