Exoplanet located at a distance of 39 light years from Earth.
Astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian center for astrophysics studied the atmosphere of the exoplanet GJ 1132b, which was opened last year.
Located at a distance of 39 light years from earth, the exoplanet immediately attracted the attention of astronomers.
Exoplanet located at a distance of 2.2 million kilometers from its sun, and its surface temperature is heated to 250 degrees Celsius. In the new work, scientists have modeled the behavior of the atmosphere of exoplanets. According to researchers, the atmosphere contains water vapour and is subjected to active UV radiation. This radiation splits water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen which escapes into space. However, the hydrogen molecule is lighter than oxygen, so the latter must be accumulated in the atmosphere of GJ 1132b.
According to lead author Laura Schaefer, the presence of oxygen in the atmosphere the colder the planet could signal the existence of life on it. On hot planets, this means that exoplanet hot and sterile. Water vapor creates an exceptionally strong greenhouse effect, which enhances the heating of the planet from the action star. This means that GJ 1132b could be hot for many millions of years.
According to the researchers, GJ 1132b may be the first rocky planet outside our Solar system that was discovered oxygen.
