2023-07-31 01:00:26
Its size is 1.5 times that of Jupiter… A gas giant with a density similar to cotton candy was found in outer space 1232 light years away from Earth. A gas giant with a density comparable to that of cotton candy was discovered in space 1232 light years away from Earth. Dubbed ‘WASP-193b’, the planet is 1.5 times larger in diameter than Jupiter, but has only one-seventh the mass (regarding 14%) of Jupiter. An international research team centered on the University of Liege in Belgium reported in a pre-published paper sharing collection that, as a result of analyzing the planet, the density is estimated to be 0.059g per cubic centimeter, similar to the density of 0.05g of cotton candy. This is regarding 1% of the Earth’s density, which is 5.51 grams per cubic centimeter. Jupiter, the largest gas planet in the solar system, has a density of 1.33 g. This is not the first time the so-called ‘cotton candy planet’ has been discovered. The first cotton candy planets discovered by astronomers were three planets in the Kepler 51 planetary system, identified in 2014. Analysis showed that the density of these planets at a distance of 2400 light-years from Earth was less than 0.1 gram per cubic centimeter. With an orbital period of 45 to 145 days and very close to the central star, these planets are believed to be composed mainly of hydrogen and helium. Discovered in 2019, the 212 light-year distance Virgo exoplanet ‘WASP-107 b’ is similar in size to Jupiter, but only one-tenth the mass of Jupiter. Until this time, astronomers thought that to be a gas planet the size of Jupiter, the planet’s core must be 10 times the mass of Earth to hold the gas. However, WASP-107 b’s core was found to be less than four times Earth’s mass, forcing us to revise our hypothesis. The newly discovered WASP-193b is 1.5 times larger than WASP-107 b. It is one of the largest cotton candy planets ever discovered. In addition, WASP-193b’s central star WASP-193 resembles the Sun in many ways. Above all, the mass is 1.1 times that of the sun, and the radius is also 1.2 times that of the sun, which is almost the same. In addition, the surface temperature of 1000 degrees and age of 6 billion years is not much different from the surface temperature of the sun of 1500 degrees and age of 4.6 billion years. In order for a celestial body with the density of cotton candy to be maintained, several conditions must be well matched. Provided by the University of Colorado Boulder Difficult to explain with existing planetary evolution models How did WASP-193b become a fluffy cotton candy planet? First of all, the fact that it is close to the stars can be cited as one factor. WASP-193b is closer to its central star than any other planet in the solar system. At a distance of only 10 million km from the star, it orbits the star every 6.25 days. Closer to the star, the atmosphere heats up and expands. This is especially true if the atmosphere is composed of the lightest elements, hydrogen and helium. This period doesn’t last very long. This is because the heat and stellar winds ejected from the stars blow away the planet’s atmosphere. Scientists believe that this condition might last for tens of millions of years at most. However, the problem is that the age of this star is estimated to be up to 6 billion years. It is difficult to explain with existing planetary evolution models. The researchers plan to focus future observations on solving this enigma. The research team said, “This planet is a very good observation candidate for the James Webb Space Telescope, which is taking analysis of the atmosphere of exoplanets as a major scientific mission.” Senior Reporter Kwak Nopil [email protected]
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