Berlin / Chile / San Diego / Texas: A global team of astronomers has discovered a planet 31 light-years from Earth, much of which is made of iron while it is so hot that iron is starting to melt there.
The newly discovered planet is called GJ 367b and orbits it in close proximity to a star (GJ 367) in a cluster called "Vela" in the southern sky.
Astronomical observations also show that the part of the planet that faces its main star has a surface temperature of about 1500 degrees Celsius. Due to which the iron present there may also be in molten state. (Iron melts at 1538 degrees Celsius in the ground environment.)
Experts found the earliest evidence of the planet in an analysis of data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TESS is a NASA-built satellite that has been specially sent into space to search for planets around other stars.
After the initial evidence, with the help of powerful ground telescopes, more information was gathered about the planet's location, its proximity to its main star, its chemical composition and temperature, etc., and to their satisfactory extent.
At the same time, it was proved that the amount of iron in the planet is much higher than other elements. That is, we can call it the "Iron Planet".
After detailed research, it was found that GJ367B is very close to its main star, and that it can complete one revolution around it in just 7 hours and 40 minutes (approximately 8 hours). Simply put, the planet's "one year" is completed in just eight hours.
Scientists also estimate that GJ367B is about 25% smaller in size than our Earth, while in terms of mass it is 45% smaller than our Earth.
Based on this information, scientists have estimated that the density (density of matter) of this planet is 8 grams per cubic centimeter. This is about 46% higher than the density of the planet Earth (5.5 grams per cubic centimeter).
How could this planet have come into being with so much iron? In answer to this question, at present we have only assumptions which suggest that the destruction of rocky planets may free the center of iron between them, which may later collide with another rocky planet and increase the amount of iron in it. Can become However, this is just an assumption that we have no concrete evidence of whether it is true or false.
