An Earth-sized exoplanet full of volcanoes has been discovered

A team of astronomers discovered one Earth-sized exoplanet which may be Full of volcanoes.

A study of data collected by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite NASASpitzer space telescope and ground-based telescopes, scientists have found it The surface of exoplanet LP 791-18d is likely covered in volcanoes It may experience eruptions at the same frequency as Jupiter’s moon Io, which is the most geologically active object in our solar system, according to the researchers.

the ll 791-18d falls approx 90 light years from Earth in the constellation Crater, where it orbits a red dwarf, the most common type of star in our galaxy. Two other exoplanets have been discovered in the system. LP 791-18b, from It is estimated to be 20% larger than Earth and LP 971-18c, which is 2.5 times the size of Earth and seven times the mass of our planet.

Astronomers think so The massive planet LP 971-18c may contribute to possible volcanic activity From a newly discovered exoplanet.

through each track, The outer planets pass very close to each other. Each pass close to the larger exoplanet exerts a gravitational force on the smaller one, making its orbit somewhat elliptical. In this elliptical orbit, LP 791-18d deforms slightly each time it passes around the star. These reactions heat the planet’s interior, which leads to volcanic activity. The same thing is happening in the most active volcanic body in our solar system, Io.

but There is still no direct evidence of volcanism around LP 971-18d. Future observations of the planet could provide more data as astronomers continue to search for potentially habitable Earth-size planets.

“LP 791-18 d is gradually locked, “What this means is that the same side is constantly facing its star,” said study co-author Bjorn Beneke, professor of astronomy at the Trottier Institute for Exoplanet Research at the University of Montreal.

“The day is likely to be too warm for there to be liquid water on the surface. But the amount of volcanic activity we suspect exists around the planet could be preserving a kind of atmosphere, which could allow water to condense at night.”

although volcanic activity It looks like a barrier to water and the possibility of life, The planet may actually help maintain some kind of atmosphere. Scientists say that volcanoes can trigger interactions between the inner and outer part of the planet.

Big question in AstrobiologyAn area that is widely studied about the origin of life on Earth, and beyond, is whether tectonic or volcanic activity is necessary for the existence of life, said study co-author Jesse Christiansen, a researcher at the NASA Institute for Extrasolar Science at Caltech.

“In addition to potentially providing an atmosphere, these processes could stir up materials that would sink and become trapped in the crust, including those we think are important to life, such as carbon,” she added.

The results of the research have been published in the journal “nature”.

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