Astronomers declare they have found a distant ‘Super Earth’
Astronomers say they have found a distant ‘Super Earth’ with a thick atmosphere and extreme temperatures.
Nicole Wallack, a postdoctoral researcher at Carnegie Science, described the findings following a renewed analysis of TOI-561 b, an ancient exoplanet located about 560 light-years from Earth.
First identified by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2021, the planet has since been studied using data from the James Webb space telescope.
Scientists say the sphere reached a surface temperature of around 1,800C and completed a full orbit of its star in less than 11 hours, classifying it as an ultrashort-period planet.
While one side remains in constant sunlight, the other side is kept warm thanks to atmospheric heat circulation.
Despite these conditions, observations reveal the existence of an atmosphere potentially containing water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide; This finding challenges previous assumptions about how such planets form and evolve.
“Astronomers would predict, based on what we know about other systems, that a planet like this would be too small and hot to maintain its own atmosphere long after its formation, even after its formation,” Nicole told Science Daily.
He added: “But our observations show that it is surrounded by a relatively thick mantle of gas, overturning conventional wisdom about ultrashort-period planets.”
Tim Lichtenberg from the University of Groningen explained that the planet’s surface is dominated by molten rocks interacting with its atmosphere.
“We think there is a balance between the magma ocean and the atmosphere.
“As gases emerge from the planet to feed the atmosphere, at the same time the magma ocean pulls them inland.”
The so-called Super-Earth is thought to be around 10 billion years old and orbits a star estimated to be roughly twice the age of the Sun.
Researchers say its existence indicates that rocky planets formed much earlier in the history of the universe than previously understood.
The James Webb space telescope, a joint project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, was at the center of the discovery.
Located nearly a million miles from Earth, the observatory has been used to study some of the oldest galaxies in the universe, as well as distant exoplanets such as TOI-561 b.
The findings add to growing evidence that planetary systems can behave in ways that defy established models, especially in extreme environments where heat, pressure, and atmospheric dynamics interact in unexpected ways.
