Super-Earth with an eternal day side discovered for the first time

An international team of astronomers has for the first time discovered a super-Earth that is tidally locked, meaning one of its hemispheres is forever facing its parent star. The discovery is reported in the article, published in The Astrophysical Journal.

The researchers observed exoplanet LHS 3844b and analyzed data from the Spitzer Space Telescope to measure the amount of starlight reflected by the planet. This made it possible to calculate the surface temperature and determine that one hemisphere was much colder than the other.

The authors believe that the discovery of one tidally dependent planet provides strong evidence that there are many more in the galaxy. Some scientists suggest that many planets in the Milky Way are likely tidally locked. They are considered unsuitable for life, but there may be favorable conditions on the border between the night and day sides.

LHS 3844b has a radius of 1.32 Earth radii and an orbital period of 11.1 hours. It orbits a red dwarf star and is located regarding 48.5 light-years from the Solar System.