A newexoplanet , dubbed a " Venus twin , " has been discovered revolve a red gnome star only 39 light - years from us . This is three time close than any other confirm world - sized exoplanet .
The planet , named GJ1132b , has a r 16 percentage larger and is 60 per centum more monolithic than Earth , but it has an figure density very similar to Earth andVenus . It revolve its boniface star very quickly , in just 1.6 solar day , and has an average space from it of 2.3 million kilometers ( 1.4 million miles ) .
Although it ’s very closelipped to its star and get 19 times more vigour than Earth , the planet is comparatively coolheaded . The surface temperature is estimated between 400 and 600 kelvins ( 120 to 320 ° C or 260 to 620 ° atomic number 9 ) , in spades too hot for living to flourish but coolheaded enough for the planet to hold on to its atmosphere . Scientists distrust it might host an atmospheric state exchangeable to Venus based on its temperature , size , and composition .
" GJ1132b is much cool than most other known rocky planets , " Dr Zach Berta - Thompson , lead writer of the study published in the journalNature , told IFLScience . " This entail the molecule in its atmosphere are moving much slower than they would be in hotter planets . Except for the very lightest speck ( like hydrogen or helium ) which move very tight , the gas molecules in GJ1132b ’s atmosphere move slowly enough that they ca n’t escape the gravity of the planet . The planet ’s gravity traps them , thereby retaining an atmosphere . "
The investigator are hoping to apply Hubble to produce mysterious observations of the planet and hopefully catch a coup d’oeil of the potential atmosphere . Being so closemouthed to Earth , telescopes that are presently being built such as theJames Webb Space Telescope(JWST ) should also be able to precisely characterize its atmosphere .
The objective revolve an M - star , one of the most common adept in the Milky Way . For each yellow star , like our Sun , there are 12 ruddy dwarfs like GJ 1132 . They are smaller and fainter than the Sun , andrecent studieshave pointed out that most megabyte - dwarfs have solid ground - size planet orbiting them , but all of the ace discovered so far were too far away to appropriate a direct atmospheric observation .
" GJ1132b provide an exciting chance for stargazer to observe the atmosphere of a rocky major planet outside the Solar System , " added Dr , Berta - Thompson . " For me , the most exciting affair is to think about the many observations that we will make of this planet over the next decade , to learn what processes conformation planetary atmospheres throughout the beetleweed . "
