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Astronomers discover Earth-sized planet in our solar backyard
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet in our solar backyard that is in a unique position to assist in further research.�
New bodies and events are discovered constantly in the eerie expanse known as space. While we speak for everyone in saying were disappointed about the lack of aliens, the sheer vastness of space is undeniably something to marvel at. A recent discovery from a worldwide team of scientists has only added to that bewilderment.�
The planet is basically a hellscape
As detailed in a new study published this week in The Astronomical Journal, a team of scientists from across the globe came upon a new planet while digging around Earths galactic vicinity.�
Melinda Soares-Furtado, a NASA Hubble Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Benjamin Capistrant, a graduate student at the University of Florida, co-led the study with co-authors from around the world.
“It’s a useful planet because it may be like an early Earth,” said Soares-Furtado.
The planet, named verily unattractively HD 63433d, is the third planet to have been discovered around a star designated HD 63433. Seriously who is naming these things? Interestingly, the planet is so close to its star that it only takes 4.2 days to do a complete orbit.�
“Even though it’s really close-orbiting, we can use follow-up data to search for evidence of outgassing and atmospheric loss that could be important constraints on how terrestrial worlds evolve,” researchers said. “But that’s where the similarities end — and end dramatically.”
Scientists believe that one side of the planet is tidally locked, which essentially means it is constantly facing its sun. While the opposite side is completely dark, the sun-facing hemisphere could be 2,300 degrees Fahrenheit and covered with lava.
The star itself is also quite the find
HD 63433 is around 400 million years old and the same type and size as our own ball of gas, which is roughly 73 light years away.
Shockingly, you can actually see the said star through some binoculars as it makes up part of the Ursa Major constellation.�
