They belong to the super-Earth category and orbit a small, cool star, LP 890-9, about 100 light-years away.
The discovery of two new super-Earth-class exoplanets orbiting a small, cool star, LP 890-9 (also known as TOI-4306 or SPECULOOS-2), about 100 light-years from Earth, has been announced an international group of astronomers.
The star in question – an M-type dwarf that emits light mainly in the near-infrared part of the spectrum – is the second coolest star found to host exoplanets, after the famous TRAPPIST-1 discovered in 2016. It was observed with the SPECULOOS robotic telescopes in Chile and Tenerife, which are suitable for high-precision observations with cameras very sensitive to the near-infrared.
The researchers, led by Leticia Delrez of the Belgian University of Liege, made the relevant publication in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The closest of the two exoplanets to its star, LP 890-9b, is about 30% larger than Earth and completes an orbit around its star in only 2.7 days (the length of its year). The second planet, LP 890-9c or SPECULOOS-2c, is about 40% larger than Earth and has a year of 8.5 days. It lies within the potentially “hospitable” zone for life around its parent star, that is, where an exoplanet probably has similar geological and atmospheric conditions to Earth, notably not extreme temperatures and liquid water for billions of years.
The next step will be to study the atmosphere of this second exoplanet, primarily with the new large James Webb Space Telescope. The planet in question, LP 890-9c, according to astronomers, appears to be the second best target – after the planets of the star TRAPPIST-1 – among potentially life-hospitable and Earth-like exoplanets.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
