Vega is the fifth brightest star, excluding the sun, that can be seen from Earth. (Credit: CC image by Stephen Rahn via Wikimedia Commons )
Astronomers have discovered new hints of a giant, scorching-hot planet orbiting Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
It focuses on an iconic and relatively young star, Vega, which is part of the constellation Lyra and has a mass twice that of our own sun. This celestial body sits just 25 light-years, or about 150 trillion miles, from Earth—pretty close, astronomically speaking.
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Researchers Discover Hints Of A Giant, Scorching-Hot Planet Orbiting Vega Star - Science
The report states that if the team's findings are confirmed, then this alien planet would orbit so close to Vega that its years would last less than two-and-a-half Earth days. Moreover, this planet could also rank as the second hottest world known to science with surface temperatures averaging a searing 5,390 degrees Fahrenheit.
The caveat is that Vega is an A-type star, meaning it spins a lot faster than our sun. Quinn states this lightning-fast speed makes it difficult for scientists to collect precise data on the star's motion and any other planets in orbit around it.
Vega Might Have a Planet - Universe Today
Vega is one of the brightest and best known stars in the night (or even twilight) sky. Located in the constellation Lyra, it is only 25 light years from Earth, and about twice our Sun's mass. And now, astronomers might have found one of the hottest known planets orbiting it extraordinarily quickly.
A planet somewhere between the size of Neptune and Jupiter that was orbiting the star every 2.5 Earth days fit the data remarkably well. This would put the gigantic planet well within Mercury's orbit in terms of distance from the star, and also would mean that it is most likely the second hottest planet ever recorded, with an estimated surface temperature of 5390 degrees F.
A Giant, Blistering Planet Hotter Than Many Stars May Be Orbiting Vega | IFLScience
Vega is so bright and beautiful because it is so close, which is handy for studying it, but also because it is so exceptionally luminous. That means that a likely planet would, if it exists, be hotter than many planets. Image Credit: Stephen Rahm CC-1.0
Vega, one of the brightest and most famous stars in the night sky, has a slight wobble probably caused by a planet, scientists have discovered. If it's real it would be the second hottest planet yet discovered, a phenomenal addition to our collection of extreme worlds, and a ringside opportunity to study such staggering conditions.
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Astro Bob: Massive, hot planet may orbit Vega | Grand Forks Herald
As of March 10 we know of 4,692 planets orbiting stars beyond our own. The vast majority of these extrasolar planets circle lesser-known stars, but a potential new discovery may change that. Astronomers have discovered hints of a giant, blazingly hot planet orbiting Vega, one of the brightest stars in the night sky.
Vega twinkles low in the northeastern sky around 11 p.m. - midnight in mid-March. It's the second brightest star in northern skies after Arcturus and the brightest star in the small constellation, Lyra the Harp. (Bob King)
Distant Planet May Be On Its Second Atmosphere, NASA's Hubble Finds | NASA
China And Russia Agree To Partner Up On A Lunar Orbiting Space Station Alongside NASA's Planned
"An international lunar science station is a complex of experimental and research facilities created on the surface and/or in orbit of the moon, designed to conduct multidisciplinary and multipurpose research work."
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This is good news for everyone, I think. A little bit of international rivalry helps keep space exploration moving. I'm curious to see how this plays out.
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Exploring the Origin of Mars' Moons | Planetary News
It has been suggested that the two natural orbiting satellites of Mars — the larger inner moon, Phobos, and the smaller outer moon, Deimos — are captured asteroids. While images of these moons taken from spacecraft orbiting Mars have revealed cratered surfaces similar to those seen on typical asteroids, uncertainties about their origin remain.
Researchers led by Amirhossein Bagheri of ETH Zürich conducted a dynamical modeling study to gain insight into the origin and evolution of Phobos and Deimos. Bagheri and colleagues used geophysical and seismic data and laboratory-based viscoelastic models to guide their simulations of the tidal evolution of Phobos and Deimos.
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Astronomers have discovered hints of a giant, scorching-hot planet orbiting Vega, one of the brightest stars in the… https://t.co/VHJwKcqxdf SETIInstitute (from Mountain View, CA) Tue Mar 09 18:05:08 +0000 2021
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