Scientists discover new planet more than 600 light years away
- 6 years ago
SPACE — A team of scientists in India have discovered a sub-Saturn sized exoplanet, reports the Financial Times.
The planet, called EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, is reportedly 600 light years away from Earth.
The planet has a mass of around 27 Earths while its radius is six times that of Earth.
Scientists used the PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search spectrograph, or PARAS, to measure the mass of a planet travelling around a star.
The surface temperature of the planet is approximately 600 degrees Celsius, which makes it virtually uninhabitable. Distance-wise, it is seven times closer to its sun-like star in comparison to Earth and its sun.
It takes around 19.5 days to complete one rotation around its Sun-like star.
The scientists believe elements such as ice, silicates, and iron content make up around 60-70 percent of the total mass of the planet, based on the calculations of the mass and the radius, reports The Economic Times.
This type of a discovery is crucial in our understanding of how these types of planets are formed, the Financial Express reports.
The planet, called EPIC 211945201b or K2-236b, is reportedly 600 light years away from Earth.
The planet has a mass of around 27 Earths while its radius is six times that of Earth.
Scientists used the PRL Advance Radial-velocity Abu-sky Search spectrograph, or PARAS, to measure the mass of a planet travelling around a star.
The surface temperature of the planet is approximately 600 degrees Celsius, which makes it virtually uninhabitable. Distance-wise, it is seven times closer to its sun-like star in comparison to Earth and its sun.
It takes around 19.5 days to complete one rotation around its Sun-like star.
The scientists believe elements such as ice, silicates, and iron content make up around 60-70 percent of the total mass of the planet, based on the calculations of the mass and the radius, reports The Economic Times.
This type of a discovery is crucial in our understanding of how these types of planets are formed, the Financial Express reports.