Scientists said this is the first time a planet like this has been found so close to its star.
Astronomers have said that a planet 264 light-years from Earth is a “giant mirror in space.” According to The Telegraph, the exoplanet LTT9779b was discovered in 2020 by the US space agency NASA and selected for follow-up observations by the European Space Agency (ESA). The planet orbits a Sun-like star every 19 hours and has reflective metallic clouds made of silicates and metals such as titanium. The planet reflects about 80 percent of incoming light, the outlet further said in its report.
A study describing the planet has been published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
“It’s like a giant mirror in space,” said Professor James Jenkins, an astronomer and co-author of the study. The Telegraph.
LTT9779b has a diameter of 4.7 times that of Earth and orbits its Sun-like star at a much closer distance than Mercury. It is 60 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, the outlet went on to say.
In our solar system, Venus is the brightest planet, reflecting 75 percent of the incoming light. It is surrounded by poisonous clouds of sulfuric acid. Meanwhile, the Earth reflects about 30 percent of the incoming light.
According to the NASA website, LTT9779b is a Neptune-like exoplanet and is 0.01679 AU (astronomical unit) away from its star.
Observations on the exoplanet were carried out by ESA’s mission Cheops (Characterising Exoplanet Satellite).
“Imagine a burning world, close to its star, with heavy clouds of metals floating up and raining titanium droplets,” study co-author James Jenkins, an astronomer at Diego Portales University in Santiago, Chile, said in a statement published. Through DailyExpertNews.
Most planets are unable to reflect the light due to the rough land surface and its absorption by the planet’s landmass. Apart from Venus, Saturn’s moon Enceladus and Jupiter’s moon Europa, there are no known exceptions.
Scientists said this is the first time a planet like this has been found so close to its star.
“It’s a planet that shouldn’t exist. We expect the atmospheres of such planets to be blown away by their star, leaving behind bare rocks,” said Vivien Parmentier, a researcher at the Cote d’Azur Observatory in Nice, France. say through DailyExpertNews.
Researchers said the planet’s metallic clouds help it survive in such an unlikely location.
