This exoplanet discovered by Canadian researchers would be covered with water. Observations with the James Webb telescope “will be essential”.
At 100 light-years from Earth, there would be an exoplanet, that is to say a planet orbiting around a star other than the Sun, completely covered in water. In any case, this is what researchers from the University of Montreal discovered, whose study was published in theAstrophysical Journal of September.
What is a “planet-ocean?
The exoplanet TOI-1452 b, located in the constellation of the Dragon, “is at a distance from its star which allows it to maintain a temperature neither too hot nor too cold so that liquid water exists on its surface”, explains the Institute for Research on Exoplanets in a communiqué published on August 24.
A “planet-ocean” is a super-Earth, i.e. a planet whose mass is between that of the Earth and of a giant planet, entirely covered with a thick layer of water. So even though Earth is called the “blue planet”, there could be worlds where water is much more plentiful.
Some of the observed planets, whose radius and mass scientists know, have a density that can only be explained if they are composed of lighter materials, such as water. These worlds are, for the moment, hypothetical.
“One of the best candidates for the title of “planet ocean”
“The exoplanet TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for the title of “ocean planet” that we know, indicates Charles Cadieux, doctoral student at the University of Montreal and member of the Institut de recherche sur exoplanets that conducted the study. The radius and mass of the planet suggest a lower density than would be expected for a planet that, like Earth, is essentially made up of metals and rock.” The University of Montreal has published a video of the representation of this exoplanet.
The ocean on this planet could be vast and deep. As on certain natural satellites of the solar system such as Ganymede and Callisto, moons of Jupiter, or Titan and Enceladus, moons of Saturn.
Any sightings with James Webb to come?
The planet is “one of the few known temperate planets that has characteristics consistent with those of a water world,” according to the statement. Moreover, it is close enough to the Earth to be studied, and is on a portion that the James Webb telescope can observe all year round.
René Doyon, principal investigator of NIRISS, one of the four scientific instruments of the James Webb Space Telescope, concludes that “observations with Webb will be essential to better determine more precisely the nature of TOI-1452 b. As soon as we can, we will solicit time to observe this strange planet.”