Astronomers Find Super-hot 'Super-Earth'
2024-05-12
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1Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets outside our solar system.
2They have finally found one with an atmosphere.
3Scientists believe that a rocky planet with an atmosphere is key to sustaining life.
4But the planet that astronomers found offers no hope for life.
5Its surface is made up of molten rock.
6Researchers recently called the planet a "super-Earth."
7It is a rocky world much larger than our planet but smaller than the gas giant in our solar system, Neptune.
8The planet orbits extremely close to its star.
9The star is less bright and smaller than our own.
10Observations using two devices aboard the James Webb Space Telescope suggest there is an atmosphere.
11But the atmosphere may not be able to support life.
12It could be continuously filled up by gases that large areas of molten rock release.
13Renyu Hu is a planetary scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology.
14He was the lead writer of the study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature.
15Hu said, "The atmosphere is likely rich in carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, but can also have other gases such as water vapor and sulfur dioxide."
16He added that current observations cannot tell what the exact atmospheric makeup is.
17The Webb data also did not make clear the thickness of the atmosphere.
18Hu said it could be as thick as Earth's or even thicker than that of Venus.
19Venus has a toxic atmosphere that is the densest in our solar system.
20The planet is called 55 Cancri e. Scientists also call it Janssen.
21It is about 8.8 times more massive than Earth and about two times as wide.
22It orbits its star at one-25th the distance between our solar system's innermost planet Mercury and the sun.
23As a result, its surface temperature is about 1,725 degrees Celsius.
24One side of the planet probably always faces its star.
25Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit the same star.
26The planet is found in our Milky Way galaxy, about 41 light-years from Earth.
27A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or 9.5 trillion kilometers.
28The planet's star is gravitationally tied to another star in the system.
29Having two stars in the same system is called a binary system.
30The other star is a red dwarf, the smallest kind of an ordinary star.
31The distance between these two stars is 1,000 times the distance between Earth and the sun.
32Light from one star takes six days to reach the other star.
33Although the rocky planet does appear to have an atmosphere, scientists say it probably should not even have one.
34Being so close to its star, any atmosphere should be taken away by the effects of the star.
35But gases dissolved in the planet's large ocean of molten rock may continue to fill up the atmosphere, Hu said.
36"The planet cannot be habitable," Hu added.
37That is because it is too hot to have liquid water, which is also considered necessary for life.
38Scientists have found other planets with an atmosphere outside our solar system.
39But they have all been gaseous planets, not rocky ones.
40As the James Webb telescope pushes the limits of space exploration, the discovery of a rocky planet with an atmosphere is a sign of progress.
41On Earth, the atmosphere warms the planet.
42It contains the oxygen people breathe and protects against the effects of the sun.
43It also creates the pressure needed for liquid water to remain on the planet's surface.
44Brice-Olivier Demory is a scientist at Switzerland's University of Bern's Center for Space and Habitability.
45He helped write the new study. He said, "On Earth, atmosphere is key for life."
46He added that the findings create hope that the Webb telescope may one day find cooler planets that could support liquid water on their surface.
47"But," he said, "we are not there yet."
48I'm Gregory Stachel.
1Astronomers have searched for years for rocky planets outside our solar system. They have finally found one with an atmosphere. 2Scientists believe that a rocky planet with an atmosphere is key to sustaining life. But the planet that astronomers found offers no hope for life. Its surface is made up of molten rock. 3Researchers recently called the planet a "super-Earth." It is a rocky world much larger than our planet but smaller than the gas giant in our solar system, Neptune. 4The planet orbits extremely close to its star. The star is less bright and smaller than our own. 5Observations using two devices aboard the James Webb Space Telescope suggest there is an atmosphere. But the atmosphere may not be able to support life. It could be continuously filled up by gases that large areas of molten rock release. 6Renyu Hu is a planetary scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology. He was the lead writer of the study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature. 7Hu said, "The atmosphere is likely rich in carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide, but can also have other gases such as water vapor and sulfur dioxide." He added that current observations cannot tell what the exact atmospheric makeup is. 8The Webb data also did not make clear the thickness of the atmosphere. Hu said it could be as thick as Earth's or even thicker than that of Venus. Venus has a toxic atmosphere that is the densest in our solar system. 9The planet is called 55 Cancri e. Scientists also call it Janssen. It is about 8.8 times more massive than Earth and about two times as wide. 10It orbits its star at one-25th the distance between our solar system's innermost planet Mercury and the sun. As a result, its surface temperature is about 1,725 degrees Celsius. 11One side of the planet probably always faces its star. Four other planets, all gas giants, are known to orbit the same star. The planet is found in our Milky Way galaxy, about 41 light-years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, or 9.5 trillion kilometers. 12The planet's star is gravitationally tied to another star in the system. Having two stars in the same system is called a binary system. 13The other star is a red dwarf, the smallest kind of an ordinary star. The distance between these two stars is 1,000 times the distance between Earth and the sun. Light from one star takes six days to reach the other star. 14Although the rocky planet does appear to have an atmosphere, scientists say it probably should not even have one. Being so close to its star, any atmosphere should be taken away by the effects of the star. 15But gases dissolved in the planet's large ocean of molten rock may continue to fill up the atmosphere, Hu said. 16"The planet cannot be habitable," Hu added. That is because it is too hot to have liquid water, which is also considered necessary for life. 17Scientists have found other planets with an atmosphere outside our solar system. But they have all been gaseous planets, not rocky ones. 18As the James Webb telescope pushes the limits of space exploration, the discovery of a rocky planet with an atmosphere is a sign of progress. 19On Earth, the atmosphere warms the planet. It contains the oxygen people breathe and protects against the effects of the sun. It also creates the pressure needed for liquid water to remain on the planet's surface. 20Brice-Olivier Demory is a scientist at Switzerland's University of Bern's Center for Space and Habitability. He helped write the new study. He said, "On Earth, atmosphere is key for life." He added that the findings create hope that the Webb telescope may one day find cooler planets that could support liquid water on their surface. 21"But," he said, "we are not there yet." 22I'm Gregory Stachel. 23Will Dunham reported this story for Reuters. Gregory Stachel adapted it for VOA Learning English. 24____________________________________________ 25Words in This Story 26solar system - n. our sun and the planets that move around it 27molten - adj. melted by heat 28vapor - n. a substance that is in the form of a gas or that consists of very small drops or particles mixed with the air 29giant - adj. very large 30galaxy - n. any one of the very large groups of stars that make up the universe 31habitable - adj. suitable or fit to live in