In 2016, astronomers from NASA, together with representatives of the European Space Agency and University College London , discovered a super-Earth with an atmosphere . Exoplanet 55 Cancri e was discovered by the Hubble telescope and is located at a distance of about 40 light-years from Earth. This super-Earth is 8 times the size of ours. It orbits so close to its star that surface conditions can literally resemble biblical hell. Or the Crematorium planet from The Chronicles of Riddick. The exoplanet 55 Cancri makes a complete revolution around the star in just 18 Earth hours, and the temperature on its surface reaches 2000 degrees Celsius.
“Imagine if the Earth were much, much closer to the Sun. So close that the whole year lasts only a few hours. So close that gravity locked one hemisphere in constant scorching daylight and the other in endless darkness. So close that the oceans evaporate, the rocks begin to melt, and the clouds spewing lava, ”the scientists described the planet.
The main mystery for scientists is why on 55 Cancri e the hottest point is not the part that directly faces the star. One theory is that the planet has a “dynamic atmosphere that moves heat around.” And the other is that the hellish exoplanet rotates and there is a change of day and night. The James Webb telescope will help solve the mystery.
“In this scenario, the surface would heat up, melt, and even evaporate during the course of the day, creating a very thin atmosphere that Webb would be able to detect,” NASA said .
In this case, in the evening, the steam cools and condenses, forming lava flows that flow back to the surface, and become solid again at nightfall.
Recall that the first full-fledged shots of “James Webb” will be shown on July 12 .
