Super Planet 55 Cancri-e Transit Detected Using Ground Based Detection Systems
Super Planet 55 Cancri-e Transit Detected Using Ground Based Detection Systems
Spanish astronomers have detected the transit of a super-planet named 55 Cancri-e transiting across its star-55 Cancri. This was done using only ground based detection systems. This scientific discovery has opened the way to ground based remote sensing of astronomical bodies.
Importance of Super-Planet 55 Cancri’s Transit
As this super-earth transits its star, observing this can also provide clues about what constitutes their atmosphere, as per the lead author of this study Ernest de Moij from Queen’s University at Belfast who was quoted in the statement released by the Harvard Smithsonian Centre of Astrophysics.
The transit was detected through the Nordic Optical Telescope at La Palma in Spain. This telescope is 2.5 metre long and it is equipped with the best instruments. Development of ground based technologies are important as they make way for interpreting the planet’s atmosphere and detecting bio-signatures of Earth type planets. The co-author of this study was Mercedes Lopez-Morales of the Harvard Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics.
Super-Earths
Super-earths are extrasolar planets which are larger than earth. They are not as big as gaseous giants in the solar system. Uranus is 17 times bigger than earth but super planets are smaller than this.
55 Cancri-e
55 Cancri-e is the particular planet which is orbiting across a sun like star named 55 Cancri located at the distance of 40 light years from the earth. This star can be seen with the human eye without a telescope.
When it transits across the star, 55 Cancri-e exoplanet blocks around .05% of the light emanating from the star. Associated with this transit time, the size of the exoplanet has been estimated by astronomers to be twice the size of earth.
Its closeness to its star makes this super earth’s surface 1,700 degree celsius in temperature. This is an exoplanet which is one of the 4 planets orbiting the star. Thanks to the latest discovery, Dr. de Mooij has indicated that upcoming missions such as space telescopes PLATO and TESS detect stars as well as planets to be followed by ground instruments.
“Our observations show that we can detect the transits of small planets around Sun-like stars using ground-based telescopes,” said Ernst de Mooij from Queen’s University Belfast in the United Kingdom. “This is especially important because upcoming space missions such as TESS and PLATO should find many small planets around bright stars.”
TESS is a 2017 NASA mission while the ESA will launch Plato in 2024. The search will be on for transiting terrestrial planets around the bright stars.
“It’s remarkable what we can do by pushing the limits of existing telescopes and instruments, despite the complications posed by the Earth’s own turbulent atmosphere,” said Jayawardhana, a member of the research team “Observations like these are paving the way as we strive towards searching for signs of life on alien planets from afar. Remote sensing across tens of light-years isn’t easy, but it can be done with the right technique and a bit of ingenuity.”
Mercedes Lopez-Morales of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics and the study’s co-author was quoted as saying in the statement. “We are slowly paving the way toward the detection of bio-signatures in Earth-like planets around nearby stars.”
