Using the Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have discovered a fourth so-called cotton candy planet around a young star called Kepler-51. The discovery makes the system, which is difficult to explain with current models, even more mysterious.
The Pennsylvania State University scientists actually wanted to use NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST, simply “Webb”) to examine Kepler-51d, the third planet in the system, in more detail. But to their surprise, it passed its central star Kepler-51a two hours earlier than expected.
Fourth planet discovered accidentally
After analyzing archived and new data, astronomers concluded that the most plausible explanation for this is the presence of an additional fourth planet, whose gravity influences the orbits of the remaining three planets in the system around Kepler-51a.
Because researchers believe that Kepler-51e has an orbital period of 264 days and a circular orbit slightly larger than that of Venus around our sun. According to the scientists, it is also a so-called cotton candy planet.
Planetary lightweight puzzles
The discovery of the fourth cotton candy planet around Kepler-51a deepens the mystery surrounding these planetary lightweights. The presence of Kepler-51e slightly increases previous mass estimates. However, these exoplanets are still too light for current planet formation models.
Cotton candy planets are a class of exoplanets whose masses are only a few multiples of Earth’s mass and have a radius greater than that of Neptune. They have a very low average density (similar to cotton candy, hence their name; note).
1.5 million kilometers from Earth
The ‘Webb’ telescope (pictured above), which was also built with Austrian participation, was launched into space in December 2021 after decades of preparation and with some delay. It is now over one and a half million kilometers away from our Earth.
The observatory will, among other things, provide new images of the early universe using a 25 square meter mirror. Astronomers hope that the images from the telescope will provide insight into the period after the Big Bang 13.8 billion years ago. The service life of the JWST is initially ten years.
Source: Krone

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