Scientists have been able to measure both the size and orbit of an exoplanet of gas giants nearly 1,300 light-years from Earth. Called GOT ‘EM-1b, which means a giant outer transit exoplanetary mass, the planet is approximately five times the mass of Jupiter.
Scientists usually struggle to measure the size of giant gas planets, such as Jupiter and Saturn, because they are far from the stars they orbit. Yet this planet appeared in what researchers call our “solar neighborhood” in 2010, when NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope first discovered the object. Then astronomers noticed a periodic decrease in the brightness of a nearby star called Kepler-1514, which led researchers to the possibility of orbiting the planets.
A research team from the University of California at Riverside has discovered that the planet, officially named Kepler-1
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It is possible that learning more about GOT ‘EM-1b and giant planets like it will tell us more about the solar system. “This planet is like a step between the giant planets of our own solar system, which are very far from our sun, and other gas giants, which are much closer to their stars,” Dalba said.
The discovery of a giant planet that has not come close to its star over time will serve as an analogue of the gas giants in our solar system and will tell us about how normal our solar system is in its stability and development. Astronomers believe that Jupiter can protect the Earth from other objects in space that could otherwise affect our planet, giving relative stability to our “blue marble”.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to find analogues of Jupiter and Saturn, so scientists are excited to learn more about GOT ‘EM-1b.
Dalba and his team presented their research at the 237th meeting of the American Astronomical Society and revealed their findings in detail in an article accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journal.
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