Sunday, January 19, 2025

Exoplanet GJ 1214 b the super-Venus.

 


"Artist’s impression of GJ 1214 b passing in front of its host star. The “transit method” allows astronomers to study an exoplanet by seeing which wavelengths of light dim when the star’s light passes through the exoplanet atmosphere. Credit: NAOJ" (ScitechDaily, James Webb Unveils a Mysterious Planet Unlike Anything in Our Solar System)

Maybe the existence of liquid water is more individual than previously thought. 

"GJ 1214 b may be cooler than any other known transiting planet prior to the discovery of Kepler-16b in 2011 by the Kepler mission. Its equilibrium temperature is believed to be in the range of 393–555 K (120–282 °C; 248–539 °F), depending on how much of the star's radiation is reflected into space." (Wikipedia, GJ 1214 b)

The exoplanet  GJ 1214 b is a so-called mini-Neptune. That planet is classified as "super-Earth. Its surface temperature is about 120–282 degrees Celsius. An interesting thing is this exoplanet can researched. While it travels between its M-type dwarf star and Earth. When that star's radiation travels through its atmosphere, it sends the spectral image of the elements in that atmosphere. That thing tells about conditions in that very strange world. ScitechDaily tells about exoplanet GJ 1214 b like this.

"Instead of a hydrogen-rich super-Earth, or a water world, the new data revealed concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2) comparable to the levels found in the dense CO2 atmosphere of Venus in the Solar System. However, there were still many uncertainties in the new data." (ScitechDaily, James Webb Unveils a Mysterious Planet Unlike Anything in Our Solar System)

The JWST telescope detected that this exoplanet has a dense CO2 atmosphere. That means the exoplanet GJ 1214 b is rather so-called "super Venus than "Super Earth". That thing means that the GJ 1214 b is one of the most interesting exoplanets in the universe. The quite low surface temperature tells that the high carbon dioxide level on the planet's surface can make liquid water possible also in planets that are outside the habitable zone. 

Otherwise, the high CO2 level can turn the planet at a theoretical habitable zone into a burning hell. That means the habitability of the planet might be more individual than researchers thought. So carbon dioxide can play a bigger role in life than previously predicted. If Earth loses all its carbon dioxide or greenhouse effect that turns Earth into a frozen planet covered by ice. So, the greenhouse effect is one thing that affects the planet's ability to support life. 

 "The detected CO2 signal from the first study is tiny, and so it required careful statistical analysis to ensure that it is real,” explains Kazumasa Ohno. “At the same time, we needed the physical and chemical insights to extract the true nature of GJ 1214 b’s atmosphere from Everett Schlawin’s study.” Then  Ohno took the lead, using theoretical models to run a plethora of “what if” scenarios about the atmosphere of the planet. Out of all of these models, the ones that best fit the data all suggest a carbon-dominated atmosphere, like a “super-Venus.” (ScitechDaily, James Webb Unveils a Mysterious Planet Unlike Anything in Our Solar System)

https://scitechdaily.com/james-webb-unveils-a-mysterious-planet-unlike-anything-in-our-solar-system/


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GJ_1214_b


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