Paris – AFP
The European space telescope “Cube” was dedicated to observing outer planets, and was able to detect for the first time a planet with a rugby ball-like distorted shape due to the gravitational effect on its star.
The rare bird, known as WASP-103b, is located in the “Hercules” galaxy, about 1,800 light-years from the Solar System.
A team of astronomers from the University of Porto, led by Portuguese astronomer Susanna Barros, is looking for a more distorted model because of its proximity to its star, said Jack Lasker, co-author of the study, which was published Tuesday in the journal Astronomy. And astronomy.
The astronomer at the Paris-PSL laboratory added, “To see if a planet can be detected by observing its transit curve,” that is, the variation that a planet creates in the light of a star that passes in front of it, and “the curve of traffic if a planet, such as a rugby or soccer ball, passes in front of the star.” Will not be the same. “
As for the planet’s decay, it is thought to provide information about its internal structure, which is close to rock or gas, and Susanna Barros noted in a statement issued by the European Space Agency that it is “an object object”. Deformation depends on its composition. “
The reason for the planet’s massive collapse is its proximity to its star and its high impact on gravity known as wave force. Here the famous analogy of its shape leads to the “potato”.
Rare form
WASP-103b is the farthest from its star, WASP-103, which is about 50 times closer to Earth than the Sun. The planet’s rotation takes only 22 hours, and the Earth’s rotation is 365 days. .
WASP-103b is then subjected to a massive wave force, failing to disconnect, giving it its rare, circular shape.
The team led by Susanna Barros came to the following conclusion: If WASP-130b is one and a half times larger than the gas giant Jupiter in our solar system, its radius is twice as large. Also Susanna Barros predicted that the planet would be “very swollen due to the heat of its star and perhaps other mechanisms”.
Scientists believe that the planet, like Jupiter, has a solid center, covered with a layer of liquid, and surrounded by a gaseous atmosphere. But they will work to find out its composition more accurately, and they are looking for this purpose to monitor it using the James Web Space Telescope.
This will allow us to “better understand” how the planet got to this place, “said Jack Lascar.
The Cubes mission, launched in December 2019, is set to determine the first properties of exoplanets.
Established as a joint venture between the European Space Agency and Switzerland, the telescope employs about 100 engineers and scientists from eleven European countries. It is reflected by its outer planet.