First 'super-Earth' found with eternal day on one side, scientists say
Scientists discover unique 'super-Earth' permanently facing its star on one side (Photo: Universe Today)"
Astronomers have discovered an interesting planet with unique characteristics. This mysterious "super-Earth" always faces its star on one side, sparking scientific interest in its investigation, according to the popular science blog IFLScience.
What is known about the discovery
New research reveals the mysteries of the interaction between planets and their stars, presenting a new way to confirm the phenomenon of tidal locking and revealing the first known planet of this type. It belongs to the category of "super-Earths" and is called LHS 3844b. This exoplanet, which is 2.3 times larger than the Earth, completes its orbit around the star in less than 12 hours.
By analyzing archived data from the Spitzer infrared telescope, which is now inactive, astronomers determined the surface temperature of LHS 3844b and modeled its thermal equilibrium.
The study showed that with a different position of the planet towards the star, its surface temperature would be significantly higher than observed. It is assumed that we are observing its cold side, which is probably not facing the star at all.
There are also indications that LHS 3844b lacks an atmosphere or is extremely thin. This makes it easier to determine its temperature since the presence of an atmosphere leads to a more even distribution of heat from the day side to the night side.
The obtained results may be useful in analyzing other exoplanets, including in the context of their habitability, especially in red dwarf systems, where tidal locking may play a significant role in climatic conditions and the possibility of life.
Earlier, we reported that astronomers pinpointed the location of the Ninth Planet.
