This newly-discovered exoplanet could reveal secrets of alien worlds

[Mike Wehner]

Finding planets outside of our solar system is an area of research that has exploded in recent years. As new, more powerful observational equipment allows us to look into space with greater detail than ever before, spotting the telltale signs of planets orbiting other stars has become much easier, and new exoplanet discoveries are happening so fast that researchers aren't even able to dedicate much time to each one. Instead, scientists are forced to select the most interesting worlds that warrant attention, and the newly-discovered "Super-Earth" Gliese 486 b is one of those planets.

A large, rocky world orbiting a relatively dim star called Gliese 486, Gliese 486 b is thought to be approximately 1.3 times as large as Earth, and nearly three times as massive. That's might seem like a huge difference when compared to Earth, but in planetary terms, it's actually a pretty close match. What definitely isn't a close match is the incredible surface temperatures on the exoplanet, which are estimated to be around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Still, the planet is about to get a whole lot of attention from researchers, as it might be our best chance yet to study the atmosphere of an alien world.

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This newly-discovered exoplanet could reveal secrets of alien worlds originally appeared on BGR.com on Mon, 8 Mar 2021 at 19:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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