Scientists found an intriguing world in our galaxy.
They confirmed the existence of a rocky planet,Brussels International Festival of Eroticism called a "super-Earth," that's some six times as massive as Earth. While the world HD 20794 d is larger than our planetary home, it's relatively low-mass compared to the huge and inhospitable Jupiter-like gas giants out there. Importantly, it inhabits a compelling part of its solar system, a region called the habitable or "Goldilocks" zone, where liquid water could exist on a world's surface. (Earth, for example, orbits in this special area, where it's neither too hot, nor too cold.)
"For me, it was naturally a huge joy when we could confirm the planet's existence," Michael Cretignier, an exoplanet detection researcher at the University of Oxford who led the research, said in a statement.
Evidence for the initial detection, made in 2022, was thin: Cretignier needed more observations to conclusively prove HD 20794 d's existence.
SEE ALSO: NASA scientist viewed first Voyager images. What he saw gave him chills.But there's something unusual about this super-Earth.
Planets orbit their stars in elliptical, or oval, shapes, though these ovals tend to be almost circular (but still can't literally be called circles). Yet Cretignier notes HD 20794 d has a "peculiar orbit." It's highly elliptical, which means as the planet orbits its star, it moves from the inner edge to just beyond the outer edge of the habitable zone every year. This raises questions about its habitability, or likelihood that it harbors conditions that could support life as we know it.
You can see a conception of the planet's strange orbit below. The outer planet is the super-Earth HD 20794 d, and the green region in space is this solar system's habitable zone.
An illustration of a habitable zone in a solar system. Credit: NASA The research was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The exoplanet team harnessed two decades of light observations captured by the HARPS and ESPRESSO (Echelle SPectrograph for Rocky Exoplanet and Stable Spectroscopic Observations) instruments, located in the profoundly dark and dry Chilean mountains. These sensitive instruments detect minute gravitational effects an exoplanet has on its star. You can think of these effects as faint, almost imperceptible wobbles.
Although HD 20794 d still remains largely mysterious, it's possible that future exoplanet missions — such as NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory — a space telescope that would look for signs of life in the atmospheres of other worlds — will be able to closely investigate this intriguing super-Earth.
"Excitingly, its proximity with us (only 20 light-years) means there is hope for future space missions to obtain an image of it," Cretignier said.
There are likely more than a trillion planets in our galaxy alone, and a large proportion could be super-Earths. One day, we might confirm that some are ocean worlds, like Earth.
Shop the Google Pixel Pro 9 for $200 off at Amazon
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 12
Commanders vs. Steelers 2024 livestream: How to watch NFL online
Wordle today: The answer and hints for November 10
EV sales up 30 percent this year despite Tesla woes
Best Fitbit deal: Save $80 on the Fitbit Versa 4
Shop early Black Friday deals on Amazon Fire tablets
TikTok's latest food trend is an obsession with...onions?
13 Good Games You Can Play on Laptops and Budget PCs
Best smartwatch deal: Score a Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 at its lowest
Get a Smart AcousticPlus acoustic electric guitar for $199.99
Michigan vs. Indiana football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
NYT Strands hints, answers for November 10
Best Black Friday coffee machine deal: Save 31% on De’Longhi Magnifica Evo
NYT Connections Sports Edition hints and answers for April 17: Tips to solve Connections #206
Apple Watch Series 10 deal: Save $50 at Walmart
Boise State vs. Nevada football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
Boise State vs. Nevada football livestreams: kickoff time, streaming deals, and more
WhatsApp launches 'Advanced Chat Privacy' to protect sensitive conversations
Google Gemini app may be coming to iPhone soon — here's what we know
In Trump’s Rise, Toni Morrison Sees Echoes of FaulknerQR codes are ubiquitous, but their role in scams means you should approach with cautionBest fitness tracker deal: Save 20% on Fitbit LuxeRead This NeverFinally, a Way to Spend Eternity on the Ocean FloorSave 50% with this Amazon Fire TV Stick deal today at Amazon“Zebras Anything,” a Poem by James TateHow to watch the Apple 10/30 event — expect new MacBooks at 'Scary Fast' live streamWhen Poets Packed Stadiums and Literature Was MoneyMax adds tribute to Matthew Perry before every 'Friends' seasonThe fishing scandal taking over the internetChatGPT can now analyze documents including PDFsPoem: “The Mutes,” by Denise LevertovO Rangasayee: Mark Morris Revisits His Iconic Solo Dance'Five Nights at Freddy's' is Blumhouse's biggest opening everAn Illustrated Column by Vanessa DavisImagining “Heart of Darkness” As a BuildingEcho Show 5 deal: Save $50 at AmazonDoes Shakespeare Really Have “Universal Appeal”?Deals of the day Oct. 3: Amazon devices, Crockpots, a ChomChom pet hair remover, and more 'Call of Duty: Modern Warfare' 2019: Everything you need to know New Google Play policies aim to fix loot boxes, curb sex and hate #Pizzagate might have claimed its first casualty in Trump’s team Google Maps now shows photos of popular dishes at restaurants Microsoft could bring back its dual Here's what professionals really want from a new Mac Pro Lil Nas X performed for the kids who went crazy for 'Old Town Road' Lady Gaga breaks down how PTSD affects her life in a poignant letter Starbucks, late to the game, releases Pokémon Go Frappuccino Apple could save music lovers from the disaster that is iTunes Angry goat goes on rampage at local store, terrorises shoppers Time names Donald Trump person of the year Pottermore to publish Harry Potter history ebooks A look at the 'Russian Doll' fan account that tweets the same photo every week Apple's watchOS 6 getting its own App Store and new health apps Wildfire smoke swirls over the Atlantic Ocean and invades the UK Here are the cities where you can get mobile 5G service from major carriers in the U.S. Amazon’s grocery store disruption has a very human problem 'Pokémon Go' will no longer be supported on Apple Watch Meet the man who sued Trump over the transgender military ban
2.0739s , 10194 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Brussels International Festival of Eroticism】,Wisdom Convergence Information Network