An artist’s impression of five planets orbiting TOI-1233, four of which were discovered using the … [+]
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Two 16- and 18-year-old high school students have discovered four new exoplanets around the brightest Sun-like star – and have co-authored a paper published there. The Astronomical Journal.
It is a rare achievement, and one described as “hitting the jackpot” by their adviser, Jasmine Wright, 18, and Kartik Pinglé, 16, paid for four hours of work per week with the Astrophysics Center, Harvard & Smithsonian as part of their Student Research Advisory Program (SRMP).
Wright and Pinglé discovered the planets around a star called TOI-1233, the brightest star that is similar in size and temperature to our own Sun, about 200 light-years from the Solar System in half constellation -sident south of Centaurus. The star is also called HD 108236.. One exoplanet was already known to be in orbit.
With discovery, the star becomes the brightest star similar to the Sun known to host four or more moving over exoplanets. It is expected to be a great target for the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The young astronauts used data from NASA’s Satellite Survey Transiting Exoplanet (TESS), a space telescope that detects exoplanets by recording droplets in star brightness. They also used data from ground-based telescopes.
“We were looking to see changes in light over time,” Pinglé said. “The idea is that if the planet passes over the star, or passes in front of it, it would (from time to time) cover the star and reduce its brightness.”
A small drop is an indication that a planet may be crossing its Sun from a TESS perspective.
“I was thrilled and amazed,” Wright said as they discovered four star-changing planets called TOI-1233. “We knew this was the goal … but it was really exciting to find a multi-planet system, and to be part of the discovery team.”
The planets orbiting TOI-1233 include one rocky “super-Earth” that orbits in less than four days, and three gaseous planets similar to Neptune that orbit around in six, 14 and 19.5 days, respectively.
As a result, they have an average surface temperature ranging from 700 ° F to 1,500 ° F which is unlikely to sustain life, although their fast orbits mean more movements – and thus a decline in it. the brightness of the host stars. That means more opportunities for astronauts to study the light that passes through the atmosphere of the exoplanets.
TOI-1233 / HD 108236 is 200 light-years away in the Centaurus constellation. It’s just above the … [+]
getty
The Exoplanet Satellite (CHEOPS) satellite research team recently used a fifth planet, which takes 29 days to orbit the star.
Rocky planets may be further from TOI-1233, possibly within the “residential zone” where meltwater could be produced.
It is also hoped that the discovery around TOI-1233 will help astronauts gain a better understanding of the basic processes of planet formation and evolution.
“With multi-planet systems, you’re pretty much like hitting the jackpot,” said Tansu Daylan, a Wright and Pinglé consultant, a postdoc at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “When it comes to identifying planetary atmospheres around sun-like stars, this seems like one of the best targets we’ll ever get.”
The planets came from the same disk of matter around the same star, but they became different planets with different atmospheres and climates because of their different orbits.
Designed to connect high achievers interested in research with real scientists at Harvard and MIT, SRMP admits approximately 12 students each year and prioritises minorities without appropriate representation. Upon acceptance, students work with a mentor on a year-long research project.
Not surprisingly, both students are ready for careers in astronomy. Wright has been accepted into the Master of Astrophysics program for five years at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, and Pinglé, a high school teenager, plans to study applied mathematics or astronomy after graduation.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.