Scientists have made a remarkable discovery of a fascinating ‘super Earth’ that features oceans of molten lava and is permanently illuminated on one side. This ancient world, identified as TOI-561 b, puzzled astronomers due to its unexpected rich atmosphere despite scorching surface temperatures of 1,800 degrees Celsius. Further investigations reveal that this anomaly is likely due to vast seas of liquid, molten rock on the planet.
Situated 560 light-years away in the outer regions of the Milky Way, TOI-561 b challenges previous scientific beliefs that hot planets cannot maintain atmospheres. Recent data from the James Webb space telescope suggest that the planet’s atmosphere could contain essential elements like water, oxygen, and carbon dioxide.
Being an ‘ultra-short-period planet’ with a rapid orbit, a year on TOI-561 b lasts less than 11 hours as it orbits its star at an extremely close distance, approximately 1/40th of the distance between Mercury and the Sun. One side of the planet remains in perpetual daylight, while the presence of an atmosphere enables heat circulation to warm the dark side.
The star that TOI-561 b orbits is notably ancient, estimated to be around 10 billion years old, twice the age of our Sun. This discovery not only challenges existing scientific theories about hot planets but also suggests that rocky planets were forming in the early stages of the universe’s history, aligning with the planet’s estimated age.
Postdoctoral Fellow Nicole Wallack from Carnegie Science in Washington DC remarked to Science Daily that the planet’s ability to retain a thick atmosphere contradicts prior assumptions about ultra-short-period planets. TOI-561 b was first detected by NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) in early 2021, with subsequent studies conducted using data from the James Webb telescope.
Described as a “wet lava ball,” study co-author Tim Lichtenberg from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands explained the equilibrium between the magma ocean and the atmosphere on TOI-561 b. The James Webb telescope, a $10 billion (£7.5 billion) project launched in 2021, has been instrumental in exploring distant celestial bodies like TOI-561 b, shedding light on the universe’s early galaxies and exoplanets.
