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The strange exoplanet takes only 19 hours to complete its orbit and reaches 1,700ºC. And yet, despite this high temperature, it retains its atmosphere.
A team of astrophysicists led by scientists from the University of Chile has announced the discovery of an exoplanet that they have described as an “ultra-hot Neptune”, located 260 light years from Earth and reaching temperatures of 1,700 ° C, according to the statement issued by the University.
At these temperatures, heavy elements such as iron ionize in the atmosphere and their molecules can disintegrate, providing a unique laboratory for studying the chemistry of planets outside the solar system, notes the British University of Warwick, whose researchers also participated in the study. study, published in Nature Astronomy.
The Neptune-sized exoplanet has been officially named LTT 9779 and takes 19 hours to complete one orbit around its star. That is, your year lasts less than a day in terms of our Earth.
Furthermore, despite the high temperatures it reaches when it is located very close to its star, LTT 9779 b maintains its atmosphere.
It is the first planet of this type to be discovered, as a Neptune-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of less than a day has never been found before.
“There is talk of an unlikely discovery because it is located in a region called ‘the Neptune Desert’, where there are almost no planets. This region is characteristic because its planets have orbital periods of less than four days, and with similar masses and sizes. Neptuno, “said James Jenkins, an academic at the University of Chile.
Interestingly, the characteristics of LTT 9779 b suggest that the exoplanet has a density similar to that of Neptune, with an atmosphere constituting at least 9% percent of the planetary mass.
The star LTT 9779 is very rich in metals and its atmosphere has twice as much iron as the Sun. “This could be a key indicator that the planet was originally a much larger gas giant, as these bodies preferably form near the stars with the highest abundance of iron, “says the statement from the University of Warwick.
