Astronomers make first characterization of super-Earth atmosphere

[News_Editor]

Astronomers make first characterization of super-Earth atmosphere

2010-12-02 04:51:56 GMT+7 (ICT)

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- NASA on Wednesday announced that a team of astronomers, including two NASA Sagan Fellows, made the first characterization of a super-Earth atmosphere using a ground-based telescope.

The super-Earth is a planet up to three times the size of Earth and weighs up to ten times more. The findings are a significant milestone toward eventually being able to probe the atmospheres of earth-like planets for signs of life.

The planet, known as GJ 1214b, is believed to be either blanketed with a thin layer of water steam or surrounded by a thick layer of high clouds. If these scenarios are real, the planet would have an icy composition or would have a rocky composition similar to Neptune but much smaller.

"This is the first super-Earth known to have an atmosphere," said Jacob Bean, a NASA Sagan Fellow. "But even with these new measurements, we can't say yet what that atmosphere is made of. This world is being very shy and veiling its true nature from us."

GJ 1214b was discovered in December 2009 and is 2.7 times the size of Earth and 6.5 times as massive. Observations of its mass and size demonstrated it has a low density for its size which led astronomers to conclude that the planet has some kind of solid body with an atmosphere.

However, researchers does not believe that the planet has life as it orbits too close to its dim star to be habitable by any life forms. Astronomers also believe that the super-Earth atmosphere is thin and does not let enough light filter through it.

The discoveries were made by a team of astronomers composed of Bean, Eliza Miller-Ricci Kempton, and Derek Homeier. The team examined GJ 1214b using the ground-based Very Large Telescope at Paranal Observatory in Chile.

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