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You may not be very familiar with the planet LHS 3844b, but it now has its own distinction: It is the first planet outside of our solar system where astronomers believe they have evidence of tectonic activity.
This evidence is a set of advanced simulations based on observations of the rocky planet, which is slightly larger than Earth. Importantly for this particular research, it does not appear that the exoplanet has an atmosphere.
This leaves half of LHS 3844b permanently exposed to its sun and could mean temperatures of up to about 800 degrees Celsius (1472 degrees Fahrenheit) on the “ day ” side and about minus 250 degrees Celsius (minus 418 degrees Fahrenheit). the night. -time ”side.
“We thought that this harsh temperature contrast could affect the flow of matter inside the planet,” says astronomer Tobias Meier, of the University of Bern in Switzerland.
Based on phase curve observations of the planet’s luminosity and possible temperatures, and computer models simulating various tectonic materials and possible heat sources, Meier and his colleagues believe that a flow at the scale of l hemisphere of underground materials occurs.
Most of the simulations performed by the researchers only showed an upward flow on one side of the planet and a downward flow on the other, but in some scenarios this was reversed – a surprising finding and one that does not match the movement. tectonics on Earth.
“Based on what we’re used to from Earth, you would expect the material on the warm side of the day to be lighter and therefore flow upward and vice versa,” says geophysicist Dan Bower , from the University of Bern.
The underlying reason is the changing temperature of the mantle material as it moves, with colder rock stiffening and becoming less mobile, and hotter rock becoming much more liquid as it heats up. Scientists say that moving the surface and material could lead to some pretty incredible tectonic activity.
“Regardless of which side of the planet the material is flowing upwards, one would expect a large amount of volcanism on that side,” Bower explains.
As a result, scientists suggest that LHS 3844b could have an entire hemisphere covered in volcanoes, while the other side shows virtually no volcanic activity – all because of the intense temperature contrast around the planet.
The type of upwelling that would cause these volcanoes is what we see on Earth, but only in specific places, such as Hawaii and Iceland. In more general terms, the tectonic movement suggested by these models is unlike anything in our solar system.
As more powerful space telescopes come online and our understanding of exoplanets improves, additional observations and research should help confirm what is happening on the surface of LHS 3844b – and if it really is at half covered with volcanoes.
“Our simulations show how such models might manifest, but it would take more detailed observations to verify them,” Meier explains.
“For example, with a higher resolution map of surface temperature that could indicate increased outgassing of volcanism, or detection of volcanic gases. This is something that we hope future research will help us understand.”
The research was published in the Letters from the Astrophysical Journal.
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