Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet orbiting a distant star that could constitute a “superEarth” completely covered in water.
The planet, called TOI1452 b, is about 70 percent larger than Earth and is orbiting a red dwarf star about 100 lightyears away in the constellation Draco, according to NASA. Although the planet may be nearly twice the size of Earth, initial observations and calculations indicate that the planet is five times as dense, which could be consistent with a surface covered in a very deep ocean.
More observations are needed, as the astronomers said the planet could also simply be a large rock with little or no atmosphere or perhaps a rocky planet with an atmosphere of hydrogen and helium.
If the planet is indeed a reallife “water world,” water could make up 30 percent of its mass, the researchers say. This would be the same as the watery moons of our solar system – Jupiter’s Ganymede and Callisto, or Saturn’s Titan and Enceladus – believed to hide deep oceans under ice shells.
Researchers have found exoplanets before suspecting they might be “water worlds,” but Charles Cadieux, Ph.D., who led the discovery team at the University of Montreal, said this new planet “is a among the best candidates for an ocean planet we’ve found so far. Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than would be expected for a planet that’s made primarily of metal and rock, like Earth.”
The new planet is about 70% larger than Earth.
Water could represent 30% of its mass.
Living on this planet, watercovered or not, would have relatively lightningquick years, since the planet orbits its sun every 11 days. NASA said that because the star it orbits is smaller and cooler, the planet receives about the same amount of sunlight as Venus in our solar system.
The exoplanet was discovered by a team from the University of Montreal, but the planet is in an excellent position for further examination by the new James Webb Space Telescope. The planet is in a part of the sky that Webb can examine at any time of year, and at 100 light years, the planet is relatively close.
The researchers who discovered the planet said they will time Webb to capture the starlight shining through the planet’s atmosphere that indicates its composition and provides additional clues.
“Our observations with the Webb telescope will be essential to better understand TOI1452 b,” said Université de Montréal professor Rene Doyon, who is also the principal investigator of NIRISS, one of the four science instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope. “As soon as we can, we will set aside time on the Webb to observe this strange and wonderful world.”