Fatal attraction made the "hell planet" even hotter
Created: 12/13/2022 3:37 p.m
By: Tanya Banner
Exoplanet 55 Cancri e ("Janssen") orbits so closely to its star that its surface is made of liquid lava.
(Iconic image) © ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser
Researchers find out why the "hell planet" is hot.
The "James Webb" space telescope will soon be exploring the planetary system.
New York City – With its surface temperature of 500 degrees Celsius, the planet Venus is considered “scorching hell”, but things can get even hotter in the universe: the exoplanet “55 Cancri e” orbits the sun-like star “Copernicus” only about 40 light-years from Earth. (55 Cancri).
Temperatures on the surface of the planet make Venus seem downright “cool”: researchers have determined 2000 degrees Celsius.
The planet is so hot its surface resembles an ocean of lava, and its interior could be made of diamonds, experts say.
Now researchers have developed a new theory as to why the planet 55 Cancri e - named after the Dutch optician Zacharias Janssen - is so hot as hell.
New measurements have helped, which show that the "hell planet" "Janssen" orbits its star along the equator.
Outer Space: "Hell Planet" 55 Cancri e was attracted to its star
In their analysis, which was published
in the journal
Nature Astronomy , the researchers not only show that "Janssen" orbits its star so closely that it only needs 18 hours for one orbit.
The researchers theorize that Janssen likely formed in a cooler, more outward orbit and was attracted to its star over time.
"Astronomers believe it spiraled into its current orbit," study lead author Debra Fischer said.
"This voyage may have ejected the planet from the star's equatorial plane, but this result shows that the planet held firm." Copernicus's gravitational pull altered the planet's orbit—the close proximity to the star is what makes the exoplanet scorching hot .
How the “Hell Planet” got hot as hell
Four other known planets orbit the star Copernicus, but none of them have met a similar fate.
"We have learned how this multiplanet system - one of the systems with the most planets we have found - came to be in its present state," said lead author Lily Zhao of the Flatiron Institute in New York City in a statement .
But even in its original orbit, the planet was arguably "probably so hot that nothing we know could survive on the surface," Zhao said.
Nevertheless, the new findings can help researchers better understand how planets form and move over time.
Ultimately, as is so often the case, this research also deals with the question of how often earth-like environments exist in the universe and how widespread extraterrestrial life could be.
Planetary system around "Copernicus" is interesting for astronomy
The planetary system of "Copernicus" is of particular interest for research because it has already been well researched.
"Copernicus" is a binary star system consisting of a yellow dwarf and a red dwarf.
With the five known exoplanets, it is one of the largest known planetary systems outside the solar system.
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My space
Artist's impression: The "hell planet" 55 Cancri e (orange) orbits its star (white) so closely that its surface consists of liquid lava.
© Lucy Reading-Ikkanda/Simons Foundation
"Janssen" was the first super-Earth to be discovered around a so-called main sequence star (our sun also belongs to this category).
The planet is similar in density to Earth, about twice the size and about eight times the mass.
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Soon, the James Webb Space Telescope will also look at 55 Cancri e.
Among other things, the researchers want to find out whether the “hell planet” has an atmosphere and what it consists of.
In addition, it is to be examined whether "Janssen" is in a so-called "bound rotation".
Then - similar to the moon-earth system - the same side of the planet would always be facing the sun, which would make it even more hellish there.
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The US space agency Nasa recently discovered a "key planet".
