Three Suns<\/p>\n
A team of Harvard astronomers have spotted a rocky planet with three suns using data from NASAs Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite and, tantalizingly, they think it could have an atmosphere.<\/p>\n
It could give us a glimpse of the conditions on interstellar planets which, like Earth, have their own atmospheres. But unfortunately, this super-Earth is simply too hot to contain the ingredients for life.<\/p>\n
The rocky planet is roughly 1.38 times the size of Earth and over 22 light-years away. A paper detailing the discovery was published in the Astronomical Journal back in June.<\/p>\n
As for the chance it could feature oxygen in its atmosphere, lead researcher Jennifer Winters is not hopeful. Its not in the habitable zone of its star, she said in a statement. Its too close. Its too hot. But if its possible that theres oxygen in the atmosphere that could come from other sources than life, thats good to know.<\/p>\n
Still, the rocky orb is worth studying. Its one of the best examples of a rocky planet that might have an atmosphere that we can study to see what its made of, Winters added.<\/p>\n
The team is hoping to spot the planet and analyze its atmosphere when the planet passes in front of its main star. That will happen in a couple of months time, but until then theyll use data from the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile to probe its mysteries further.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Why a rocky planet with three suns has astronomers attention [Harvard University]<\/p>\n
More on exoplanets: Newly Discovered Exoplanet Is Unlike Any Other<\/p>\n
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\nThis Rocky World With Three Suns May Have an Atmosphere - Futurism<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"