Read the Beforeitsnews.com story here. Advertise at Before It's News here.

By Alton Parrish (Reporter)
Contributor profile | More stories

Story Views
Now:
Last hour:
Last 24 hours:
Total:

Nearby 'Superearth' Discovered Orbiting Red Dwarf Star

Wednesday, November 16, 2016 14:14

% of readers think this story is Fact. Add your two cents.

The PhD student Alejandro Suárez Mascareño, of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL), and his thesis directors at the IAC Rafael Rebolo and Jonay Isaí González Hernández have discovered a “superearth” type planet, GJ 536 b, whose mass is around 5.4 Earth masses, in orbit around a nearby very bright star. Its short orbital period could help with future studies of biological activity.

This exoplanet -the planet orbiting the star GJ 536- is not within the star’s habitable zone, but its short orbital period of 8.7 days and the luminosity of its star, a red dwarf which is quite cool and near to our Sun, make it an attractive candidate for investigating its atmospheric composition. During this research a cycle of magnetic activity similar to that of the Sun has been found, but with a shorter period, 3 years.

Artistic design of the “superearth” GJ 536 b and the star GJ 536.

Credit: Gabriel Pérez, SMM (IAC).

“So far the only planet we have found is GJ 536 b but we are continuing to monitor the star to see if we can find other companions”, says Alejandro Suárez Mascareño, who is the first author on the article. “Rocky planets are usually found in groups”, he explains, “especially round stars of this type, and we are pretty sure that we can find other low mass planets (other “superearths”) on orbits further from the star, with periods from 100 days up to a few years. We are preparing as programme of monitoring for transits of this new exoplanet to determine its radius and mean density”.

“This rocky exoplanet is orbiting a star much smaller and cooler than the Sun” comments Jonay Isaí González, “but, sufficiently nearby and bright. It is also observable from both the northern and southern hemispheres, so that it is a very interesting for future high stability spectrographs and in particular for the possible detection of another rocky planet in the habitability zone of the star”.

“To detect the planet”, states Rafael Rebolo “we had to measure the velocity of the star with an accuracy of the order of a metre per second. With the construction of the new instrument ESPRESSO, co-directed by the IAC, we will improve this accuracy by a factor of ten, and will be able to extend our search to planets with conditions very similar to Earth, around this and many other nearby stars”.

The planet has been detected in a joint effort between the IAC and the Geneva Observatory, using the HARPS (High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Seeker) spectrograph on the 3.6M ESO Telescope at La Silla (Chile) and HARPS North, on the Telescopio Nacional Galileo (TNG) at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory, Garafia (La Palma).

This planet was discovered during the preparation of the doctoral thesis of Alejandro Suárez Mascareño, within the programme of Training of Research Personnel of the Ministry of Economy, Industry, and Competitivity (MINECO).

The study has been accepted for publication in the specialized journal Astronomy & Astrophysics; researchers from several countries are involved.

Contacts and sources:
Elena Mora
Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC)

Source:

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world.

Anyone can join.
Anyone can contribute.
Anyone can become informed about their world.

"United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

Before It’s News® is a community of individuals who report on what’s going on around them, from all around the world. Anyone can join. Anyone can contribute. Anyone can become informed about their world. "United We Stand" Click Here To Create Your Personal Citizen Journalist Account Today, Be Sure To Invite Your Friends.

LION'S MANE PRODUCT

Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules

Mushrooms are having a moment. One fabulous fungus in particular, lion’s mane, may help improve memory, depression and anxiety symptoms. They are also an excellent source of nutrients that show promise as a therapy for dementia, and other neurodegenerative diseases. If you’re living with anxiety or depression, you may be curious about all the therapy options out there — including the natural ones.Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend has been formulated to utilize the potency of Lion’s mane but also include the benefits of four other Highly Beneficial Mushrooms. Synergistically, they work together to Build your health through improving cognitive function and immunity regardless of your age. Our Nootropic not only improves your Cognitive Function and Activates your Immune System, but it benefits growth of Essential Gut Flora, further enhancing your Vitality.

Our Formula includes: Lion’s Mane Mushrooms which Increase Brain Power through nerve growth, lessen anxiety, reduce depression, and improve concentration. Its an excellent adaptogen, promotes sleep and improves immunity. Shiitake Mushrooms which Fight cancer cells and infectious disease, boost the immune system, promotes brain function, and serves as a source of B vitamins. Maitake Mushrooms which regulate blood sugar levels of diabetics, reduce hypertension and boosts the immune system. Reishi Mushrooms which Fight inflammation, liver disease, fatigue, tumor growth and cancer. They Improve skin disorders and soothes digestive problems, stomach ulcers and leaky gut syndrome. Chaga Mushrooms which have anti-aging effects, boost immune function, improve stamina and athletic performance, even act as a natural aphrodisiac, fighting diabetes and improving liver function. Try Our Lion’s Mane WHOLE MIND Nootropic Blend 60 Capsules Today. Be 100% Satisfied or Receive a Full Money Back Guarantee. Order Yours Today by Following This Link.

Comments

Visits:	1,708,582,853
Stories:	8,450,744