A nearby transiting rocky exoplanet that is suitable for atmospheric investigation

Artistic impression of the surface of Gliese 486 b. Credit: RenderArea.
Artistic impression of the surface of Gliese 486 b. Credit: RenderArea.
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Authors
T. Trifonov et al.
Max Planck Institut für Astronomie- Heidelberg
References
2021 Science 371 1038

We detect a transiting rocky planet with an orbital period of 1.467 days around the nearby red dwarf star Gliese 486. The planet Gliese 486 b is 2.81 Earth masses and 1.31 Earth radii, a composition similar to that of Venus or Earth, as determined from exquisite radial velocity data and photometric light curves. The host star is at a distance of 26 light-years, very bright, and observable from both hemispheres of Earth. The stellar and planet properties indicate that despite the hot surface temperatures it is possible that the planet conserved part of its original atmosphere, making it an ideal candidate for emission and transit spectroscopy studies with the next generation of ground- and space-based instruments.

News type
Research news
Scope
Science and Technology
Severo Ochoa
SO Research
Astrophysics
General public
Undergraduate
Scientists
Exoplanetary Systems & Solar System (SEYSS)
SEVERO OCHOA

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