Scientists have discovered a rocky planet “super-Earth” in an ancient star system that probably formed 10 billion years ago, just a few billion years after the appearance of our Milky Way galaxy.
Why does it matter: The new planet may not be able to sustain life, but researchers generally believe that older planetary systems are more likely to harbor life because they have a long lifespan.
- “God, if I were around 5 billion years old, imagine what could have happened in a rocky world that exists around 10 billion years ago. I would definitely like to know,” Lauren said. Weiss from the University of Hawaii. a press conference on Monday at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society.
What they found: The planet – called TOI-561b – orbits its star in less than half a day from Earth and is about 50% larger than our planet.
- The world is probably home to an ocean of magma on the side of the planet facing its star, Weiss said.
- Weiss also said that there are two other planets orbiting the star, which are believed to be gaseous and farther away than the rocky world.
- The researchers used NASA’s TESS mission and the Keck Observatory to find and confirm the super-Earth, and a study detailing the discovery was accepted by Astronomical Journal.