You may not all be familiar with the planet LHS 3844b, but it now has a distinct difference: It is the first planet outside our Solar System where astronomers believe there may be evidence their on tectonic activity.
That evidence is a set of positive symbols based on observations of the rocky planet, which is slightly larger than Earth. Importantly for this particular piece of research, the exoplanet doesn’t seem to have a feel.
That leaves half of the LHS 3844b permanently exposed to the sun and this could mean temperatures of up to around 800 degrees Celsius (1,472 degrees Fahrenheit) on the ‘daytime’ side, and around at 250 degrees Celsius (minus 418 degrees Fahrenheit) at night. -time ‘side.
“We thought that this adverse temperature difference could affect the flow of materials in the interior of the planet,” said astronomer Tobias Meier, of the University of Bern in Switzerland.
Based on curved ideas of planetary brightness and potential temperature, and computer models mimicking various tectonic materials and potential heat sources, Meier and his colleagues of the the idea that a hemispherical flow of subscription material occurs.
Most of the symbols run by the researchers showed only flowing up on one side of the planet and just flowing down the other, but in some cases reversed. – a remarkable discovery, and one that does not correspond to a tectonic movement on Earth.
“Based on what we’re used to from Earth, you’d expect the material on the hot day to be lighter and thus flow up and vice versa,” says geologist Dan Bower, of the University of Bern
The underlying reason is the variable temperature of the healthy material as it moves, with colder rock becoming thinner and more mobile, and warmer rock becoming more liquid-like. it heats up. The scientists say that the movement of surfaces and materials could lead to a rather spectacular tectonic activity.
“Regardless of which side of the planet the material flows up, a large amount of volcanism would be expected on that particular side,” Bower said.
As a result, scientists suggest that one entire hemisphere may be covered by volcanoes at LHS 3844b, while the other shows little volcanic activity – all on due to the different temperature intensities around the planet.
The kind of chaos that these volcanoes cause depends on what we see on Earth, but only in certain places, such as Hawaii and Iceland. In broader terms, the tectonic movement proposed by these models is unlike anything in our Solar System.
As more powerful space telescopes become online and our understanding of exoplanets grows, more observation and research should help determine what is happening beyond the surface of LHS 3844b – and whether it is actually half covered by volcanoes.
“Our simulations show how these patterns might emerge, but it required more detailed ideas,” Meier said.
“For example, with a map with a higher resolution of surface temperature that could indicate an increase in volcanism, or the detection of volcanic gases. This is something we hope will help future research to understand. “
The research was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.