Waking up to a new year! Researchers have discovered an Earth-sized exoplanet 700 light-years away that whips around its host star in a mere 8.5 hours — one of the shortest orbital periods ever detected.
The fireball of a planet named Kepler 78b is extremely close to its star — its orbital radius is only about three times the radius of the star.
Scientists have estimated that its surface temperatures may be more than 2760°C. In such a scorching environment, the top layer of the planet is likely completely melted, creating a massive, roiling ocean of lava, researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said. “We’ve gotten used to planets having orbits of a few days. But we wondered, what about a few hours? Is that even possible? And sure enough, there are some out there,” said Josh Winn, an associate professor of physics at MIT, and co-author of the paper.
What’s most exciting to scientists is that they were able to detect light emitted by the planet — the first time that researchers have been able to do so for an exoplanet as small as Kepler 78b. This light, once analysed with larger telescopes, may give scientists detailed information about the planet’s surface composition and reflective properties.