This is the planet is named LP 791-18 d and is located 90 light years from Earth.
Astronomers have discovered the planet It is covered and named after several active volcanoes LP 791-18 d.
This star is believed to be 90 light years away from us Tierra, In the Crater constellation. But scientists believe that even with that much lava, it could hold water.
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Its importance
LP 791-18 d It orbits a red dwarf that is tidally locked, meaning the planet does not have a day-night cycle like Earth does. Instead, one part of her is constantly lit by sunlight, while the other is always in darkness.
In a study published in NatureBjorn Benneke, one of the astronomers who studied the planet, points out that volcanic activity could support the presence of an atmosphere on the planet, which would allow water to appear on the “night” side.
There are at least two planets in this system, B and C. The orbit of the latter, two and a half times that of Earth, affects the orbit LP 791-18 dDistorting it, it “could generate enough internal friction to significantly heat the planet’s interior and generate volcanic activity on its surface.”
“A big question in astrobiology, the field that extensively studies the origins of life on Earth and beyond, is whether tectonic or volcanic activity is necessary for life,” said study co-author Jesse Christiansen. “In addition to providing the atmosphere, these processes can induce materials that would otherwise sink and become trapped in the crust, including materials that we think are important for life, such as carbon.”
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Higher education
Future observations of the planet could confirm whether this exoplanet actually has a watery atmosphere, which could be key to the search for life.
NASA, ESA and CSA already plan to focus the James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared imaging instruments on LP 791-18 c.
