Latest news with #CharlesCadieux
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
This 'super-Earth' exoplanet 35 light-years away might have what it takes to support life
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A fifth planet has been detected within the habitable zone of a neighboring star, where conditions could perhaps support liquid water and potentially life. Located about 35 light-years from Earth, L 98-59 is a cool, dim red dwarf star already known to host a compact system of small, rocky planets. The latest discovery, led by researchers at the Université de Montréal's Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, confirms the presence of L 98-59 f, a super-Earth with a minimum mass 2.8 times that of our planet. The newly discovered exoplanet follows an almost perfectly circular 23-Earth-day orbit around its star. The world receives roughly the same amount of stellar energy as Earth, placing it in the star's habitable zone — a range of distances where liquid water could exist under suitable atmospheric conditions, according to a statement from the university. "Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting," Charles Cadieux, a postdoctoral researcher at the university and lead author of the study, said in the statement. "It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low-mass stars." L 98-59 f was discovered by reanalyzing data from the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher) and ESPRESSO (Echelle Spectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations) spectrographs. Since the exoplanet doesn't transit, or pass in front of, its host star from our perspective, astronomers spotted it by tracking subtle shifts in the star's motion that are caused by the planet's gravitational pull. By combining the spectrograph data with observations from NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) and James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) — and using advanced techniques to filter out stellar noise — researchers were able to determine the size, mass and key properties of all five planets. The study shows that L 98-59 b, the innermost planet, is just 84% the size of Earth and half its mass, making it one of the smallest exoplanets measured. Tidal forces may drive volcanic activity on the system's two innermost planets, while the third's unusually low density suggests it could be a water-rich world unlike any in our solar system. This diversity offers a rare opportunity to investigate the formation and evolution of planetary systems beyond our own, team members said. RELATED STORIES — Exoplanets: Everything you need to know about the worlds beyond our solar system — Nearby exoplanet could offer clues about atmospheres around hot, rocky alien worlds — Goldilocks zone: Everything you need to know about the habitable sweet spot "These new results paint the most complete picture we've ever had of the fascinating L 98-59 system," Cadieux said. "It's a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve by combining data from space telescopes and high-precision instruments on Earth, and it gives us key targets for future atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope." Because L 98-59 is small and nearby, its planets are especially well-suited for follow-up atmospheric studies. If L 98-59 f has an atmosphere, telescopes like JWST may be able to detect water vapor, carbon dioxide — or even biosignatures. The new study was published July 12 in the journal Earth and Planetary Astrophysics. Solve the daily Crossword
Ammon
4 days ago
- Science
- Ammon
Scientists discover a 'super–Earth' planet 35 light years away
Ammon News - It's one of the biggest unanswered questions in science. Are there aliens out there, and if so, where are they hiding? Now, researchers may have taken a huge step towards answering this question. Using NASA's TESS space telescope, a team from Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets has detected a 'super–Earth' 35 light–years away that might be habitable. The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59. However, it is the only one with the right conditions to support life. 'Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting,' said Charles Cadieux, lead author of the study. 'It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low–mass stars.' L 98–59 was first discovered in 2019, and was originally confirmed to have just four planets around it. However, by carefully reanalysing data collected from ground–based and space–based telescopes, the team was able to identify a fifth planet. This planet does not transit its host star – meaning it doesn't pass directly between us and the star. However, its presence was confirmed through subtle variations in the star's motion. The scientists believe the planet receives about the same amount of stellar energy as Earth does from the sun. Excitingly, this places it 'firmly' within the habitable zone – a region where water could remain in liquid form. The new study also sheds light on the four other planets orbiting the star.
Daily Mail
5 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mail
Is THIS where aliens are hiding? Scientists discover a 'super–Earth' planet 35 light–years away – and it might have the right conditions to support life
It's one of the biggest unanswered questions in science. Are there aliens out there, and if so, where are they hiding? Now, researchers may have taken a huge step towards answering this question. Using NASA 's TESS space telescope, a team from Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets has detected a 'super–Earth' 35 light–years away that might be habitable. The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59. However, it is the only one with the right conditions to support life. 'Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting,' said Charles Cadieux, lead author of the study. 'It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low–mass stars.' The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59 L 98–59 was first discovered in 2019, and was originally confirmed to have just four planets around it. However, by carefully reanalysing data collected from ground–based and space–based telescopes, the team was able to identify a fifth planet. This planet does not transit its host star – meaning it doesn't pass directly between us and the star. However, its presence was confirmed through subtle variations in the star's motion. The scientists believe the planet receives about the same amount of stellar energy as Earth does from the sun. Excitingly, this places it 'firmly' within the habitable zone – a region where water could remain in liquid form. The new study also sheds light on the four other planets orbiting the star. The innermost planet, L 98–59 b, is about 84 per cent the size of Earth, and about half its mass. Meanwhile, the two inner planets are believed to be similar to Jupiter's moon, Io, with extreme volcanic activity. Finally, the fourth planet may be a 'water world', the experts say. 'With its diversity of rocky worlds and range of planetary compositions, L 98–59 offers a unique laboratory to address some of the field's most pressing questions: What are super–Earths and sub–Neptunes made of?' asked René Doyon, co–author of the study. 'Do planets form differently around small stars? Can rocky planets around red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?' Having found the fifth planet and learned more about the other four, the team now hopes to use James Webb – NASA's most powerful telescope – to study the star system in more detail. 'With these new results, L 98–59 joins the select group of nearby, compact planetary systems that we hope to understand in greater detail over the coming years,' said Alexandrine L'Heureux, co–author of the study. 'It's exciting to see it stand alongside systems like TRAPPIST–1 in our quest to unlock the nature and formation of small planets orbiting red dwarf stars.' PLANETARY SYSTEM L 98-59 The planetary system and its star - which are only around 35 light years away - are both called L 98-59. The planets in this system are the following, from closest to the star to further away: - L 98-59b: This rocky planet has half the mass of Venus (4.868×1024 kg). It's likely dry, but might have small amounts of water. It's smaller than the Earth but still bigger than Mars. - L 98-59c: Likely dry, but might have small amounts of water - L 98-59d: About 30 per cent of the mass of this planet could be water (but note that this would not be liquid water at the planet's surface) - L 98-59e: Has a 'year' of 12.8 days and is at least three times more massive than the Earth (a 'super-Earth'). Its temperature is thought to be only a few ten degrees warmer than that of the Earth. - L 98-59f: In the habitable zone of the star, meaning liquid water may exist at the surface of this planet
