Around 90 light years away from our solar system is an exoplanet covered in volcanoes, around the same size as the Earth and potentially able to support life.
And it’s the discovery of Canadian astronomers.
“We were super excited about this,” Björn Benneke, head of the astronomy division within the department of physics at the University of Montreal, told CTV National News.
He said when his team discovered the planet, they all felt a thrill over having a discovery no one else knew about yet.
“My students and I were the only ones in the world that knew about this extra Earth that is out there that is potentially a game changer for how we understand these planets, or understand the solar system, so that was a huge moment.”
Exoplanet is the term for a planet that exists in solar systems outside of our own. Scientists have been increasingly searching for exoplanets that may be able to support life for years, but it’s still rare to find ones that fall within certain parameters.
“What is particularly exciting about these Earth-size planets, about these temperate planets where temperatures are quite similar to the Earth, is those are the ones where we will look for life in the future, so this one here — it’s a potential candidate for this,” Benneke said.
Some of the key factors astronomers look for are planets of a similar size to Earth that orbit their star at a distance not too far away and not too close — within the “habitable zone” of temperature that could allow for liquid water to form on the surface of the planet.
This new planet hits those markers, but also comes with some unique properties that are making scientists excited.
Benneke’s team is dedicated to searching for Earth-like exoplanets and mapping the diversity of their atmospheres and makeups.
They found the new planet using NASA’s “TESS” — Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
How it works is that as a planet passes in front of its star, it blocks some of the light, causing a slight drop in brightness. TESS is able to spot these dips in light and map out planet transits to confirm the presence of a planet.
The team also used data from the retired Spitzer Space Telescope to discover the planet could possibly support life.
“It has some properties that are very, very similar to Earth. It’s the same size, it’s a similar mass, in terms of temperatures, relatively comparable, at least globally,” Benneke said. “But there are also quite some differences.”
One of those differences is that this planet, which orbits a much smaller star than ours, doesn’t revolve the way Earth does — instead it is locked in its orbit around its star, similar to the way the moon orbits the Earth.
“This means the same side of the planet always faces towards the star,” Benneke said. “It’s a permanent day side.”
The planet is officially designated as LP 791-18d, but it has another name: Reykjavik, after the capital of Iceland.
The nickname comes from the team’s theories about the makeup of the planet.
They believe it could undergo volcanic outbursts as often as Jupiter’s moon Io, the most volcanically active body in our solar system.
“Volcanoes are exciting because they bring things to the surface of the planet that might bring the building blocks of life,” Dan Riskin, CTV’s Science and Technology Specialist, told CTV National News. “So any time there’s a volcano, people get excited.”
How do scientists know that this planet is likely to have significant volcanic activity? Because they’ve been studying this system for a while.
LP 791-18d is not the only planet that orbits this particular dwarf star. Two other planets were previously discovered by TESS in 2019, known as LP 791-18 b and c.
This new planet orbits in between the two, at an intermediate distance from the star, with Planet c — which is about 2.5 times bigger than Earth — orbiting the farthest from the star. When tracking the movements of these planets, however, astronomers realized that Planet c was passing very closely to the new planet, so closely that the larger planet’s gravity is definitely impacting the smaller one.
Every time the larger planet passes close to LP 791-18d, it pulls on the smaller planet, deforming it slightly in a process called tidal heating.
“The significant friction generated by tidal heating in the planet is responsible for heating its interior to a considerable extent, ultimately enabling the existence of a subsurface magma ocean,” Caroline Piaulet, a UdeM Ph.D. student who was involved in the discovery, said in a press release. “In our Solar System, we know that Jupiter’s moon Io is affected by Jupiter and its other moons in a similar way, and that world is the most volcanic we know.”
The permanent night side of the planet is where astronomers believe that water may be able to form. With ice, water and volcanoes, researchers picture it like Iceland — hence the nickname.
While TESS continues to look for signs of planets, new worlds or exoplanets, the team is hoping that they can get a closer look at this new exoplanet in particular through the James Webb telescope, the largest and most advanced telescope ever built.
“Once James Webb turns its attention to it, we’re going to have a much better view,” Riskin said. “Right now, it’s a lot of theoretical stuff about what might be there and we’re going to have a close look soon with that new telescope and it’s going to make it all worthwhile.”
Because the planet’s star is so small — only a little bit bigger than Jupiter — researchers believe that the James Webb telescope should be able to actually see the planet’s atmosphere.
Scientists have already secured observing time with the James Webb telescope for the larger planet, Planet c, which will shed more light on the system.
“Everyone thinks of NASA when they think of space science, but here you have Canadian researchers, a Canadian university,” Riskin said. “And ultimately, it’s that James Webb telescope, which is partly Canadian, that’s going to have a closer look. So Canada has a lot to be proud about.”
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The body of Ugandan Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei — who died after being set on fire by her partner in Kenya — was received Friday by family and anti-femicide crusaders, ahead of her burial a day later.
Cheptegei’s family met with dozens of activists Friday who had marched to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital’s morgue in the western city of Eldoret while chanting anti-femicide slogans.
She is the fourth female athlete to have been killed by her partner in Kenya in yet another case of gender-based violence in recent years.
Viola Cheptoo, the founder of Tirop Angels – an organization that was formed in honor of athlete Agnes Tirop, who was stabbed to death in 2021, said stakeholders need to ensure this is the last death of an athlete due to gender-based violence.
“We are here to say that enough is enough, we are tired of burying our sisters due to GBV,” she said.
It was a somber mood at the morgue as athletes and family members viewed Cheptegei’s body which sustained 80% of burns after she was doused with gasoline by her partner Dickson Ndiema. Ndiema sustained 30% burns on his body and later succumbed.
Ndiema and Cheptegei were said to have quarreled over a piece of land that the athlete bought in Kenya, according to a report filed by the local chief.
Cheptegei competed in the women’s marathon at the Paris Olympics less than a month before the attack. She finished in 44th place.
Cheptegei’s father, Joseph, said that the body will make a brief stop at their home in the Endebess area before proceeding to Bukwo in eastern Uganda for a night vigil and burial on Saturday.
“We are in the final part of giving my daughter the last respect,” a visibly distraught Joseph said.
He told reporters last week that Ndiema was stalking and threatening Cheptegei and the family had informed police.
Four in 10 women or an estimated 41% of dating or married Kenyan women have experienced physical or sexual violence perpetrated by their current or most recent partner, according to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey 2022.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — A rare Bronze-Era jar accidentally smashed by a 4-year-old visiting a museum was back on display Wednesday after restoration experts were able to carefully piece the artifact back together.
Last month, a family from northern Israel was visiting the museum when their youngest son tipped over the jar, which smashed into pieces.
Alex Geller, the boy’s father, said his son — the youngest of three — is exceptionally curious, and that the moment he heard the crash, “please let that not be my child” was the first thought that raced through his head.
The jar has been on display at the Hecht Museum in Haifa for 35 years. It was one of the only containers of its size and from that period still complete when it was discovered.
The Bronze Age jar is one of many artifacts exhibited out in the open, part of the Hecht Museum’s vision of letting visitors explore history without glass barriers, said Inbal Rivlin, the director of the museum, which is associated with Haifa University in northern Israel.
It was likely used to hold wine or oil, and dates back to between 2200 and 1500 B.C.
Rivlin and the museum decided to turn the moment, which captured international attention, into a teaching moment, inviting the Geller family back for a special visit and hands-on activity to illustrate the restoration process.
Rivlin added that the incident provided a welcome distraction from the ongoing war in Gaza. “Well, he’s just a kid. So I think that somehow it touches the heart of the people in Israel and around the world,“ said Rivlin.
Roee Shafir, a restoration expert at the museum, said the repairs would be fairly simple, as the pieces were from a single, complete jar. Archaeologists often face the more daunting task of sifting through piles of shards from multiple objects and trying to piece them together.
Experts used 3D technology, hi-resolution videos, and special glue to painstakingly reconstruct the large jar.
Less than two weeks after it broke, the jar went back on display at the museum. The gluing process left small hairline cracks, and a few pieces are missing, but the jar’s impressive size remains.
The only noticeable difference in the exhibit was a new sign reading “please don’t touch.”
VICTORIA – The British Columbia government is partnering with a bear welfare group to reduce the number of bears being euthanized in the province.
Nicholas Scapillati, executive director of Grizzly Bear Foundation, said Monday that it comes after months-long discussions with the province on how to protect bears, with the goal to give the animals a “better and second chance at life in the wild.”
Scapillati said what’s exciting about the project is that the government is open to working with outside experts and the public.
“So, they’ll be working through Indigenous knowledge and scientific understanding, bringing in the latest techniques and training expertise from leading experts,” he said in an interview.
B.C. government data show conservation officers destroyed 603 black bears and 23 grizzly bears in 2023, while 154 black bears were killed by officers in the first six months of this year.
Scapillati said the group will publish a report with recommendations by next spring, while an independent oversight committee will be set up to review all bear encounters with conservation officers to provide advice to the government.
Environment Minister George Heyman said in a statement that they are looking for new ways to ensure conservation officers “have the trust of the communities they serve,” and the panel will make recommendations to enhance officer training and improve policies.
Lesley Fox, with the wildlife protection group The Fur-Bearers, said they’ve been calling for such a committee for decades.
“This move demonstrates the government is listening,” said Fox. “I suspect, because of the impending election, their listening skills are potentially a little sharper than they normally are.”
Fox said the partnership came from “a place of long frustration” as provincial conservation officers kill more than 500 black bears every year on average, and the public is “no longer tolerating this kind of approach.”
“I think that the conservation officer service and the B.C. government are aware they need to change, and certainly the public has been asking for it,” said Fox.
Fox said there’s a lot of optimism about the new partnership, but, as with any government, there will likely be a lot of red tape to get through.
“I think speed is going to be important, whether or not the committee has the ability to make change and make change relatively quickly without having to study an issue to death, ” said Fox.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2024.
