Exoplanet GJ 1132: NASA image shows second atmosphere on Earth-like planet

Because it is very similar to Earth, the exoplanet GJ 1132 was a minor sensation when it was discovered in 2015. Now the mysterious exoplanet comes back into focus.

Darmstadt – Planet GJ 1132 b caused astonishment when it was discovered in 2015: According to its discoverer, the planet is not far from the earth, namely “only” 39 light years away from us. According to a study published in 2015 in the journal Nature, the exoplanet is said to be the most Earth-like planet discovered by then – and has an atmosphere.

Planet GJ 1132 b should be of a similar size and age and have a similar mass to the earth, according to the assumptions of the researchers: inside. Both were also hot before they cooled down.

Exoplanet GJ 1132 was considered the most Earth-like planet – and is coming back into focus

Now planet GJ1132 b is once again moving into the focus of science: An image from the Hubble space telescope is supposed to detect a second atmosphere on the exoplanet. As the Esa reports on its website, the researchers were surprised to discover that the planet GJ 1132 b has a second atmosphere. This replaces the first atmosphere. This second atmosphere would come from the surface and the interior of the planet, according to researcher Paul Rimmer, who examined the images of the exoplanet. This is a window to a geology of another world.

Researchers: inside suspect that the hydrogen from the first atmosphere is absorbed into the magna mantle of the planet and released by volcanism, thus forming a new atmosphere. This second atmosphere flows out into space.

In the focus of space research: Earth-like planet with a second atmosphere

Although the scientists noticed some similarities with the earth when it was discovered in 2015, according to Nasa and Esa there are also many differences to the earth. Since the exoplanet orbits very close to a red dwarf star, it is too hot to live, said Zachory Berta-Thompson from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology after the discovery of the exoplanet by the dpa. “There is no chance of liquid water on its surface. But it is much cooler than the other rock exoplanets that we know, ”says the researcher. The researchers assumed that the atmosphere of planet GJ 1132 b is more like Venus than Earth. “Our greatest goal is to discover a twin on Earth. We discovered a twin of Venus along the way, ”said David Charbonneau, a researcher at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA).

Space exploration is fascinated by exoplanets – planets similar to Earth?

Science has long been fascinated by exoplanets. Unlike the earth, they do not belong to our solar system, but revolve around another star outside of our solar system. Researchers are already selecting exoplanets whose location and size are interesting for space research, as announced by the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. Only recently, researchers from Heidelberg discovered the super-earth Gliese 486b, an exoplanet * that is not far from the earth. In the future, these planets will be observed by space telescopes such as the James Webb Space Telescope or the Extremely Large Telescope. (Delia Friess) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

The largest full moons of the year *: The super moon shines in April and May. In 2017 astronomers discovered an exoplanet that, according to their findings, could prove to be the most promising place for the search for life * beyond our solar system.