As humanity enjoys life on Earth, the quest for habitable planets propels space exploration. Recently, scientists unveiled a rocky exoplanet, SPECULOOS-3 b, about 55 light-years away—a journey light itself would traverse in 55 years. Although seemingly distant, in the grand cosmic scale, it’s remarkably close.
In contrast, our Sun, the source of light and life, will eventually fade, a process still about 10 billion years off. Conversely, SPECULOOS-3 b’s host star, a red dwarf, could shine for an astonishing 100 billion years.
A Little More About the SPECULOOS-3 b
Red dwarf stars, cooler than the Sun, like to emit radiation. While 70% of stars in our galaxy are dwarfs, they typically host only one close-in planet, limiting liquid accumulation and hindering atmosphere formation due to intense radiation. This is the fate of SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting a rare ultra-cool dwarf star.
Unfortunately, SPECULOOS-3 b falls into this category, orbiting too close to its star, which blazes at a scorching 4,760°F (2,627°C). Even if we could reach it, inhabiting such a world would be impossible.
Aside from the extreme temperatures, SPECULOOS-3 b is tidally locked, much like our Moon, with one side in perpetual darkness and the other bathed in constant daylight.
The classification of such exoplanets and their stars requires extensive observation. SPECULOOS-3 b and its star, SPECULOOS-3, are named after the Search for Planets EClipsing ULtra-cOOl Stars project. Led by Michael Gillon at the University of Liège, Belgium, this project focuses on studying these dwarf stars and their planetary systems.
“We designed SPECULOOS specifically to explore nearby ultra-cool dwarf stars in search of rocky planets. With the SPECULOOS prototype and the crucial help of the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope, we discovered the famous TRAPPIST-1 system. That was an excellent start!”
Gillon, the lead author of the paper announcing the exoplanet’s discovery, has provided the full paper for reference here.
Looking ahead, Steve B. Howell, one of the planet’s discoverers at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, notes significant progress in studying such exoplanets. He highlights the next crucial step: assessing the potential habitability of these worlds.
Another Earth-sized exoplanet, Gliese 12b, has also been recently discovered, joining SPECULOOS-3 b in the scientific spotlight, prompting further exploration by researchers and scientists.
0 Comments