TYC 8998-760-1 b Astronomers make a major discovery that isotopes have been successfully detected in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. This is the first time this has been done, and the discovery could help clarify the origin and origin of remote exoplanets. Science Alert.

A coup in astronomy

Discovered in 2019, the TYC8998-760-1b exoplanet is located 300 light-years from Earth, and is 1.1 times the diameter of Jupiter. It is a gas giant 14 times the mass of Jupiter orbiting the parent star. According to the NASA database, Once in 2063.

ESO / G.Hüdepohl

In the atmosphere of this majestic planet, scientists in Chile have discovered a carbon isotope using a very large telescope (VLT), i.e. naturally occurring and stable carbon-13 (six protons and seven neutrons).

TYC 8998-760-1 b was one of the rarest exoplanets before, because it was the first one we could observe directly. Exoplanets are usually identified by observing their influence on the surrounding stars.

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We are indebted to the distance from the star

Astronomer Yapeng Zhang, a leading researcher in a recently published study, commented In the journal Nature, Measuring the atmosphere of an exoplanet at such a distance is a special event.

This is due to the amazing brightness of the stars, which are many times brighter than the light emitted by the surrounding planets. Discovered isotopes can tell us important information about the formation of a particular planet – this is not possible with the help of classical observation of the effects on a star.

Exoplanet TYC 8998-760-1 C orbits the same star on the planet mentioned above using carbon isotopes. Source: NASA

How Explained astronomer Paul Moliere TYC 8998-760-1 b is located 150 times farther from the Sun than Earth, from the Max Planck Astronomical Institute in Germany.

“At such a large distance, more carbon-13 ice forms on the planet, which is due to its high presence in the atmosphere.Moliere added.

A similar phenomenon occurs near the earth

In our solar system, this exoplanet has a similar phenomenon comparable to the amount of carbon isotope in the atmosphere. Neptune and Uranus are richer in hydrogen isotopes known as deuterium than Jupiter.

NASA / CXO / University College London / W. Done a poll.

Ignatius Snellen, an astronomer at the University of Leiden, hopes that thanks to the continuous improvement of our telescopes, we will be able to detect similar isotopes more accurately and farther in the future. Monitoring of exoplanets should also help in principle James Webb Space TelescopeBut who is delaying the launch into space.