Nearby alien planet six times as big as Earth has unusual plasma 'water-rich' atmosphere with temperatures as high

as 280

Japanese astronomers examined the atmosphere of the alien planet using specialist cameras with a blue filter Super-Earth Gliese 1214 b is located just 40 light-years outside our solar system and while it has water, it is thought to be uninhabitable Scientists from the National Astronomical Observatory in Japan said the planet is around 70 times closer than the Earth to its sun

By Sarah Griffiths

An unusual planet, six times the size of earth, that is located just 40 light-years outside our solar system, has been found to have a 'water-rich' atmosphere that has a strange 'plasma form' of water, scientists have said. Japanese astronomers examined the atmosphere of the alien planet using specialist cameras with a blue filter to observe planetary transits of super-Earth Gliese 1214 b. The research team said that while its atmosphere is water-rich, the planet is not habitable like our Earth, as it has atmospheric temperatures that reach 280 degrees Celsius.

An unusual planet, six times the six of earth, that is located just 40 light-years outside our solar system, has been found to have a 'water-rich' atmosphere that has a 'plasma form' of water, astronomers have said. Here is an artist's rendition of a transit of GJ 1214 b in blue light. The blue sphere represents the host star GJ 1214 and the black ball in front of it is GJ 1214 b

While the planet's atmosphere contains water, it is still dramatically different to the Earth's The scientists from the National Astronomical Observatory in Japan had set out to determine whether the planet has an atmosphere of water or hydrogen and

used Subaru Telescope's two optical cameras with a blue transmission filter to study the scattering of light from the planet. They then combined their findings with previous observations in other colours to conclude the atmosphere contains 'significant' amounts of water. Principle investigator Norio Narita, told Space.com: 'As the temperature and pressure are so high, water is not in a usual form (vapor, liquid, or solid), but in an ionic or plasma form at the bottom the atmosphere - namely the interior - of Gliese 1214 b.' The alien planet, which is located some 40 light-years away from our solar system in the constellation Ophiuchus, orbits a cooler star than our sun.

Artist's rendition of the relationship between the composition of the atmosphere and transmitted colours of light of an alien planet. Top: If the sky has a clear, upward-extended, hydrogendominated atmosphere, Rayleigh scattering disperses a large portion of the blue light from the atmosphere of the host while it scatters less of the red light. As a result, a transit in blue light becomes deeper than the one in red light. Middle: If the sky has a less extended water-rich atmosphere, the effect of the Rayleigh scattering is much weaker than in a hydrogen-dominated atmosphere. Bottom: If the sky has extensive clouds, most of the light cannot be transmitted through the atmosphere

But it is around 70 times closer than the Earth to its sun and makes its journey around the low-mass star once every 38 hours.

As is is so close, temperatures on the huge planet can reach a staggering 280C or 540 Farenheit, but it is the planet's density that is surprising. While Gliese 1214 b is six times as large as earth, it is less than three times in width to be as big as a planet in between the size of Earth and Neptune. Dr Narita said: 'At high pressure and high temperature, the behaviour of water is quite different from that on the Earth.' While astronomers believe water is an essential ingredient for Earth-like life on a planet, and Gliese 1214 b has plenty of water, Dr Narita does not not think it is habitable because of its close orbit. 'Although water vapour can exist in the atmosphere, liquid water - namely oceans - would not exist on the surface of this planet. So unfortunately, we do not think this planet would be habitable.' As the planet does not have a solid surface, it is difficult to estimate the height of the atmosphere, but the scientists think it could be around 30km - around three times deeper than our Earth's. They also believe plasma water could be hidden inside the planet but are unsure if they will ever be able to find the high pressure ices inside the super-Earth that they suspect are there. The unusual planet was originally discovered as part of the MEarth Project, which tracks over 2,000 low-mass stars.
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