Representation of a five-planet artist orbiting TOI-1233, four of which were discovered using the … [+]
NASA / JPL-Caltech
Two high school students, ages 16 and 18, have discovered four new exoplanets around the brightest Sun-like star known and co-authored an article published in The Astronomical Journal.
A rare achievement, and one that his mentor, 18-year-old Jasmine Wright and 16-year-old Kartik Pinglé, described as “winning the award,” they are paid for four hours of work each week by the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard and Smithsonian as part of his student. Research Mentoring Program (SRMP).
Wright and Pinglé discovered the planets around a star called TOI-1233, the brightest known star, similar in size and temperature to our own Sun, about 200 light-years from the solar system in the constellation of Earth. southern hemisphere of Centaurus The star is also known as HD 108236. It was already known that an exoplanet was in orbit.
With the discovery, the star becomes the brightest star, similar to the Sun, which hosts four or more exoplanets in transit. It is projected to be an ideal target for NASA’s upcoming James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
The young astronomers used data from NASA’s transient exoplanet exploration satellite (TESS), a space telescope that looks for exoplanets by recording falling star brightness. They also used data from ground-based telescopes.
“We wanted to see light changes over time,” Pinglé said. “The idea was that if the planet passed the star or passed by, it would periodically cover the star and decrease its brightness.”
A slight drop is a sign that a planet may be crossing the Sun from the point of view of TESS.
“I was very excited and very shocked,” Wright said when he discovered four planets orbiting a star called TOI-1233. “We knew that was the goal … but finding a truly multi-planetary system and being part of the discovery team was a lot of fun.”
Planets orbiting TOI-1233 comprise a rocky “super-Earth” orbiting in less than four days and three Neptune-like gaseous planets orbiting in six, 14, and 19.5 days, respectively.
As a result, they have average surface temperatures ranging from 700 ° F to 1,500 ° F until they are unlikely to host life, although their fast orbits mean more traffic and therefore fall into the brightness of guest stars. This means more opportunities for astronomers to examine the light passing through the atmosphere of exoplanets.
TOI-1233 / HD 108236 is located 200 light-years away from the constellation Centaurus. It is located just above the … [+]
Getty
A research team used the characteristic Exoplanet satellite (CHEOPS) that recently confirmed a fifth planet, which takes 29 days to orbit the star.
It is possible that there are rocky planets further away from TOI-1233, possibly within their “habitable zone” where liquid water would be possible.
The discovery around TOI-1233 is also expected to help astronomers better understand the fundamental processes of formation and evolution of the planet.
“With multi-planetary systems, you’re winning the award,” said Tansu Daylan, a mentor to Wright and Pinglé, a postdoctoral fellow at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. “When it comes to characterizing planetary atmospheres around sun-like stars, this is probably one of the best goals we will ever achieve.”
The planets originated from the same disk of matter around the same star, but ended up being different planets with different atmospheres and different climates due to their different orbits.
Designed to connect high school students interested in research with real-world scientists at Harvard and MIT, SRMP accepts approximately 12 students each year and priorities are underrepresented minorities. Once accepted, students work with a mentor on a one-year research project.
Not surprisingly, both students are prepared to pursue degrees in astronomy. Wright has just been accepted into a five-year master’s program in astrophysics at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, while Pinglé, a young high school student, plans to study applied mathematics or astrophysics after graduating.
I wish you clear skies and wide eyes.