Thanks to the CHEOPS telescope, ESA discovers that this planet is shaped like a rugby ball


Eric Bottlaender

Space specialist

January 18, 2022 at 5:30 p.m.

3

WASP-103b exoplanet rugby ball © ESA

What if it was a real rugby ball? We do not know. Credits: ESA

For the first time, observations reveal a exoplanet
which is not spherical, but presents a strong deformation due to its density and the influence of its star! WASP-103b is a unique case so far, which is intriguing in more ways than one. Ideal for CHEOPS
, which characterizes exoplanets…

We will have to watch to see if he crosses the line of 22…

WASP without penalty points

We already knew the elongated shapes of certain minor planets with distant orbits in our own solar system, but until now among the several thousand exoplanets observed, none had shown this “rugby ball” shape. Until the CHEOPS orbital telescope (Characterizing ExOPlanet Satellite) can study the transit of WASP-103b in front of its star! As soon as it was discovered in 2014, astrophysicists predicted that it would be “significantly distorted” by tidal effects, but confirmation will therefore have waited until 2021. The WASP-103 star itself is an impressive star, around 1. 7 times the size of our Sun and at least 200°C warmer.

And around it, there is this big planet, which orbits very, very close to its star, in just one day (remember, even Mercury takes 88 days)! WASP-103b has an estimated mass of 10% that of its sun, and a size equivalent to 1.5 times Jupiter. As a gas giant, its interior must be comparable, but taking into account the other parameters, astrophysicists estimate that the temperature is 20 times higher!

Europeans in a fuss

If CHEOPS was able to make sufficiently precise observations to estimate these various parameters, it is because the small orbital telescope (at an altitude of around 700 km) is specialized in characterizing known exoplanets, and in particular in constraining their size, which which then has implications for their mass and density (but also their age, composition, etc.).

CHEOPS uses its specialized sensor to record multiple transits, so an orbital period of around a day is ideal for WASP-103b…” It’s pretty amazing that CHEOPS is able to reveal this deformity “, explains Jacques Laskar, from the Paris Observatory (Co-Author of the study). ” This is the first time we have conducted this type of analysis, and we hope that observation over a longer interval will strengthen it, and lead to a better understanding of the internal structure of the exoplanet. “.

exoplanet transit explanations © NASA

The transit method makes it possible to observe the decreases in luminosity when a planet passes in front of (and behind) its star. Credits: NASA

Untransformed essay

Characterizing WASP-103b does not mean that all of its mysteries are solved. Apart from its rugby ball shape, there is still a lot to learn. On the nature of its heart, for example, which makes it more sensitive than another to the titanic tidal effect of its star. Also on its density, or its composition. Finally, there are still oddities in the measurements, in particular the fact that WASP-103b is moving away from its star.

In general, exoplanets in this situation end up disintegrating and being absorbed by their star… But not her, on the contrary, she turns her back on it. Drift from a more elliptical orbit than it appears? Measurement error? Influence of another star or an unknown star? As often in astronomy, there is only one way to find out: observe and observe again!

Exploration, astronautics, space tourism: what to expect in space in 2022?

So, well rested? Ready for a space year 2022 on the hats? Exploration, astronautics, space tourism, satellites: the 365 days ahead will be rich in events of all kinds. A little overview, to make you want, of what could take place in 2022.
Read more

Sources: ESA
, aanda



Source link -99