MONITORING DESK
ISLAMABAD: University of Montreal’s astronomers discovered two exoplanets that observations suggest may be submerged in water. The researchers used NASA’s Spitzer and Hubble telescopes. These planets are present in the Lyra constellation’s planetary system which is 218 light years away from earth. Exoplanets orbiting red dwarf stars are termed water worlds. This means that a major portion of the planet is composed of water.
The details of the scientific study have been published Nature Astronomy journal. The planetary system is called Kepler-138. The team that carried out the was headed by Caroline Piaulet of the Institute for Research on Exoplanets (iREx) at the University of Montreal.
Water worlds discovered: Kepler-138d and Kepler-138c
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a statement said that Piaulet and colleagues had seen exoplanets Kepler-138d and Kepler-138c. These two planets are closer to their star as compared to the previously discovered Kepler-138b. Evidence has also hinted at the presence of a fourth planet.
Lead scientist Piaulet said that one needs to imagine the moons of Jupiter and Saturday which are water-rich yet much closer to their star. So instead, they have envelopes of water vapor instead of ice surfaces.
