SPECULOOS-3b

SPECULOOS-3b

Context: A new, Earth-sized planet named SPECULOOS-3b was recently detected by an international team of astronomers. It is orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star just 55 light years away.

About:

o The newly discovered planet, SPECULOOS-3b, orbits an ultracool red dwarf star located 55 light-years away from Earth.
o This red dwarf, though similar in size to Jupiter, emits light 100 times dimmer than the Sun and has half the temperature.
o SPECULOOS-3b is only the second Earth-sized planet discovered around this type of star.
o The planet receives high levels of radiation from its sun, likely leaving it without an atmosphere, receiving almost 16 times more energy per second than Earth receives from the Sun.
o SPECULOOS-3b takes approximately 17 hours to complete one orbit around its star.
o It is believed to be tidally locked, with one side always facing the star (dayside) and the other in perpetual darkness (nightside), similar to the relationship between the Moon and Earth.
o The discovery was made by the SPECULOOS project, led by the University of Liège, Belgium, in collaboration with several other universities and institutions, using observatories in the Atacama Desert of northern Chile.
o The SPECULOOS project aims to search for exoplanets orbiting ultra-cool dwarf stars using a network of robotic telescopes worldwide.

What is a Red Dwarf Star?

• Red dwarf stars are a type of low-mass star and are the most common type in the Milky Way galaxy.
• They are smaller and cooler than the Sun, with surface temperatures ranging from about 2,200 to 3,500 Kelvin.
• Red dwarfs emit most of their light in the infrared part of the spectrum and are much dimmer than the Sun.
• Due to their slow consumption of nuclear fuel, red dwarfs have incredibly long lifespans compared to the Sun, making them valuable targets for studying planetary evolution and habitability over extended periods.