Scientists at CARMENES discover Super Earth Gliese 486 b, 26 light years away from Earth

Scientists have just discovered a giant super Earth-like planet at a distance of 26 light-years away from the Earth. Scientists feel this newly discovered planet will help them study the atmospheric composition of alien worlds and rocky planets that are similar to our planet Earth, to an extent. The newly found planet has been named Gliese 486 b. Read on to know more about this newly discovered super Earth-like planet. 

Gliese 486 b - The New Super Earth?

Also Read: Researchers Spot Super-Earth Using Newly Discovered Technique, All You Need To Know

As reported by space.com, the new planet was discovered by astronomers of the CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Échelle Spectrographs). The team published a new study led by Trifon Trifonov from the Max Planck Institue for Astronomy, which reported the discovery of the new planet Gliese 486 b. This new planet Gliese 486 b rocky exoplanet, is in orbit around a dim red dwarf star at a distance of 26 light-years from Earth. 

Also Read: Scientists 'discover New Exoplanet Rosetta Stone' While Searching Alien World

As per space.com, the new planet is 1.3 times larger than the Earth and has about 2.8 more mass than the Earth. Gliese 486 b makes one rotation around the host star every 1.47 earth days. This newly discovered planet provides a lot of opportunities for scientists to study the atmospheres of Earth-like rocky planets. The team at CARMENES also added in their report that Gliese b has an estimated surface temperature of around 800 degrees Fahrenheit or about 430 degree Celsius. The temperature conditions of the planet make it an ideal specimen to have an atmosphere that can be studied. The fact that the planet is only 26 light-years away will make it easier for scientists to study it, as most Earth-like planets are hundreds or thousands of light-years away. 

Also Read: Black Hole Goes Dark: Find Out Why This Giant Black Hole Stopped Emitting X-rays

As reported by space.com, because the orbit of the Gliese 486 b is very close to its host star, the planet is most likely 'tidally locked', always showing the face to the host star, similar to how the moon shows only one face to the Earth. So it's highly possible the planet has one side which is always very hot burning and the other side perpetually suspended in the cold night. These conditions make it very hard for life to grow on the planet but further observations will give the scientists more data. Trifonov, the lead scientist of the project said in his report that the new planet is most probably hot and dry, interspersed with volcanoes and lava rivers. 

Also Read: 'Super-Earth' Planet Spotted Orbiting One Of The Oldest Stars In The Milky Way