On a large, rocky world in a far-off solar system, a year goes by in just half a day.
Astronomers are continually finding unique planets in deep space, and a new survey just revealed 15 new planets, including a unique super-Earth. These are rocky worlds some 30 to 70 percent bigger than Earth, but not quite as massive as planets like Neptune. This latest super-Earth find, dubbed TOI-1798 c, is a rarity because it travels extremely close to its star — so close that an orbit takes about 12 hours. (That’s a USP, or ultra-short period orbit.)
While some super-Earth’s dwell in more temperate parts of their solar system, where liquid water could potentially exist, TOI-1798 c is scorching.
“TOI-1798 c orbits its star so quickly that one year on this planet lasts less than half a day on Earth,” Ian Crossfield, an astronomer at the University of Kansas who coauthored the new research, said in a statement. “Because of their proximity to their host star, USPs are also ultra-hot — receiving more than 3,000 times the radiation that Earth receives from the sun. Existing in this extreme environment means that this planet has likely lost any atmosphere that it initially formed.”
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