Astronomers are researching an Earth-like exoplanet that could contain water, according to NASA.
The exoplanet, named TRAPPIST-1 e, is being monitored by the James Webb Space Telescope, the most powerful telescope ever launched into space.
It is one of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, but is of particular interest because its distance from the sun could allow temperatures that make water on the surface theoretically possible, the agency said.
However, this could only be possible if the planet has an atmosphere, which scientists are trying to determine.
Astronomers have aimed the James Webb telescope’s powerful NIRSpec (Near-Infrared Spectrograph) instrument toward the solar system as planet e transited in front of its star. With each transit, the atmospheric components of the planet will become clearer, the researchers said.
In this NASA digital illustration handout released on Feb. 22, 2017, all seven planets discovered in orbit around the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are shown and could fit inside the orbit of Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system.
NASA via Getty Images
“Webb’s infrared instruments are giving us more detail than we’ve ever had access to before, and the initial four observations we’ve been able to make of planet e are showing us what we will have to work with when the rest of the information comes in,” NASA said.
So far, astronomers are confident the planet does not contain its primary — or original — atmosphere since the star is “very active” with frequent flares, according to NASA. Stellar radiation would have ripped off any hydrogen-helium atmosphere with which the planet may have formed.
Many planets, including Earth, have built up a heavier secondary atmosphere after losing the primary atmosphere, NASA said, adding there is an equal chance an atmosphere does not exist.
If an atmosphere does exist, it is unlikely that it is mostly comprised primarily of carbon dioxide, although the measurements do not rule out adequate carbon dioxide to sustain some water on the surface, researchers said.
However, no direct parallels with our solar system have been observed.
NASA’s James Web Space Telescope is shown in this illustration.
NASA
“TRAPPIST-1 is a very different star from our Sun, and so the planetary system around it is also very different, which challenges both our observational and theoretical assumptions,” said Nikole Lewis, an associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University, in a statement.
Any liquid water on TRAPPIST-1 e would be accompanied by a greenhouse effect, which would involve various gases, especially carbon dioxide, keeping the atmosphere stable and the planet warm.
“A little greenhouse effect goes a long way,” Lewis said.
The findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
