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August 30, 2019
The discovery lava planet is an extreme version of the moon of Jupiter Io, the most volcanically active celestial body of our solar system.
Image above: The volcanic moon around the exoplanet 550 Wasp 49-b looks a lot like the moon of Jupiter, Io.
An international team led by the University of Bern announces the probable discovery of a volcanic moon around the exoplanet 550 Wasp 49-b. It is 550 light-years from Earth.
According to the description of the researchers in "The Astrophysical Journal," this lava planet is an extreme version of the moon of Jupiter Io, the most volcanically active celestial body in our solar system.
With its lava surface, it could look like the volcanic planet where the final duel of "Star Wars, episode III" takes place, but in more spectacular. It orbits indeed around a hot giant planet that goes around its sun in just three days, said the alma mater Bern in a statement.
Wasp 49-b is in the Hare constellation, south of Orion. Scientists were put on the track of this moon after detecting large amounts of sodium gas. It is a consequence of its extreme volcanism.
This is the first time a rocky moon has been discovered beyond our solar system. Further research is needed to confirm this, the authors note.
Related links:
The Astrophysical Journal: https://iopscience.iop.org/journal/0004-637X
INSPIRE HEP - WASP-42 b and WASP-49 b: two new transiting sub-Jupiters: http://inspirehep.net/record/1114412/plots
University of Bern (Unibe): https://www.unibe.ch/index_eng.html
Image, Text, Credits: AFP/Unibe/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.
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