(ORDO NEWS) — While observing the HD 23472 star system with the ESPRESSO spectrograph, a team of scientists led by Susana Barros, a researcher at the Spanish Institute of Astrophysics and Science, discovered three super-Earths and two super-Mercuries.
This last type of exoplanet is still very rare, with only eight supermercuries known so far.
The team found that the HD 23472 system consists of three super-Earths with a significant atmosphere and two super-mercuries, which are the closest planets to the star.
Three out of five planets have masses less than the mass of the Earth.
The masses of the planets were measured using the radial velocity method, made possible by the very high precision of the ESPRESSO installed at the Very Large Telescope in Chile.
The planet Mercury has a larger core and a smaller mantle than other planets in the solar system.
There are theories that part of the planet’s mantle could have taken a powerful blow, or part of Mercury’s mantle could have evaporated due to its high temperature.
Surprisingly, other exoplanets with similar characteristics, called supermercuries, have recently been discovered around other stars.
“For the first time, we have discovered a system with two supermercuries. This allows us to get clues about how these planets formed.
We still don’t know how such planets form, but it appears to be related to the star’s composition. This new system can help us figure that out,” Barros said.
Olivier Demangeon, one of the authors of the study, said: “Understanding how these two supermercuries formed will require further characterization of the composition of these planets.
Since their radii are smaller than those of the Earth, modern instruments are not sensitive enough to investigate the composition of their surface or the presence and composition of a potential atmosphere.
The future Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) and its first-generation high-resolution spectrograph ANDES7 will provide the necessary sensitivity and accuracy to make these observations.”
“The existence of an atmosphere gives us insight into the formation and evolution of the system, and also affects the habitability of planets.
I would like to extend this type of research to planets with longer periods and acceptable temperatures,” said Barros.
—
Online:
Contact us: [email protected]
Our Standards, Terms of Use: Standard Terms And Conditions.