Two Super-Earths Found Orbiting a Red Dwarf Star at the Edge of the Habitable Zone - by BrianKoberlein
Transits of the newly discovered super-Earths. Credit: Murgas, et al
So the team also gathered Doppler data about the starlight. This information tells you how the star moves relative to Earth, and by measuring the wobble of the star the team could calculate how strongly the two planets tug on the star. This told them their masses, and knowing their size they could calculate their densities and estimate their surface temperatures.
It turns out both worlds are super-Earths. TOI-2095b is about 25% larger than Earth with about four times our planet’s mass, while TOI-2095c is about a third larger than Earth with a mass of about 7 Earths. Their surface temperatures are estimated to be about 300 K to 350 K, compared to about 290 K for Earth. The two worlds are just on the inner range of their star’s habitable zone.
It’s rare for a star to have more than one potentially habitable world, but there is also reason to be cautious. To begin with, the habitable zone of a red dwarf star is well within the orbit of Mercury, and red dwarfs are known to have some pretty intense flares, so it might not be particularly friendly. It should also be noted that the term “super-Earth” is a bit of a misnomer. You might imagine a large terrestrial world similar to Earth, but they are likely to be small gas-like planets.
Where this study really shines is in showing how we are able to confirm ever smaller exoplanets. Most of the exoplanets we’ve discovered have been large worlds closely orbiting small stars. These planets are roughly similar to Earth’s size, showing that in time we may find a truly Earth-like world.
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