Volcanoes may carpet surface of newfound Earth-size exoplanet

[Judi Lynn]

By Mike Wall published about 3 hours ago

Volcanic activity on the alien world, which lies about 90 light-years from Earth, may generate an atmosphere.



Artist's impression of the newfound exoplanet LP 791-18 d, a roughly Earth-size world that may be quite volcanically active. (Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (KRBwyle))

A newfound alien world about the size of Earth may be studded with active volcanoes, whose emissions could sustain an atmosphere, a new study reports.

The exoplanet, known as LP 791-18 d, orbits a red dwarf star about 90 light-years from Earth, in the southern constellation Crater. It's slightly larger and more massive than Earth, according to the study team — and it's probably much more volcanically active than our planet.

"LP 791-18 d is tidally locked, which means the same side constantly faces its star," co-author Björn Benneke, an astronomy professor at the University of Montreal's Institute for Research on Exoplanets who planned and supervised the study, said in a statement.

"The day side would probably be too hot for liquid water to exist on the surface," Benneke said. "But the amount of volcanic activity we suspect occurs all over the planet could sustain an atmosphere, which may allow water to condense on the night side."

More:
https://www.space.com/earth-size-exoplanet-volcanoes-nasa-tess?utm_source=notification