An international team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery by finding an Earth-sized planet orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star in the Milky Way galaxy. This planet, known as SPECULOOS-3 b, is located just 55 light-years away from Earth and is tidally locked, meaning one side always faces the star while the other remains in darkness. The star it orbits is thousands of degrees cooler than our Sun, yet it bombards the planet with radiation, potentially leaving it without an atmosphere.
The discovery was made through the SPECULOOS project, which aims to explore rocky planets orbiting nearby ultra-cool dwarf stars. The next step for SPECULOOS-3 b is to be studied further by the James Webb Space Telescope for insights into its potential habitability. This incredible finding sheds light on the fascinating world of exoplanets and the mysteries of our universe.
Vocabulary List:
- groundbreaking (adjective): Making new discoveries innovative.
- orbiting (verb): Moving in a curved path around a celestial body.
- ultra-cool (adjective): Describing a star with a lower temperature than typical stars.
- tidally locked (adjective): When an object s rotation period matches its orbit around another object.
- bombards (verb): Constantly hits with somethingusually radiation or particles.
- habitability (noun): The idea that a planet or celestial body can support life.
