Planets

Artist's impression of K2-18b (Image courtesy Amanda Smith)

An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal Letters” reports a study on the potential habitability conditions of the exoplanet K2-18b. A team from the British University of Cambridge led by Nikku Madhusudhan conducted a series of simulations based on the possible values of mass, size, and atmosphere data value available on it to create various models compatible with the observations. According to the conclusions, under certain conditions there may be liquid water on its surface.

Artist's concept of hot Jupiter close to its star (Image courtesy University of Warwick/Mark Garlick)

An article published in the journal “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” reports a study on the exoplanet NGTS-10b, an ultra-hot Jupiter whose year lasts only about 18 hours. A team of researchers led by Dr James McCormac of the British University of Warwick used data collected during the NGTS survey to identify NGTS-10b thanks to its transits in front of its star. It’s the hot or ultra-hot Jupiter closest to its star observed so far, so close to it that in the distant future it could approach the point of being destroyed. This makes it an interesting object of study, also because observations conducted for several years will measure its orbit’s changes to understand if it’s really doomed.

Jupiter's equatorial region

An article published in the journal “Nature Astronomy” reports a study on the abundance of water in the atmosphere and in particular in the equatorial region of the planet Jupiter. NASA’s Juno mission team used data collected by the space probe, which has been orbiting the gas giant for about 3.5 years. The conclusion is that water makes up about 0.25% of the molecules in Jupiter’s atmosphere, about three times those present in the Sun’s atmosphere estimated through the presence of its components. This is a result that indicates an abundance much higher than that measured in 1995 by the Galileo space probe.

The brown dwarf GJ 504 B's system

An article published in “The Astronomical Journal” offers an explanation of the formation mechanisms of gas giant planets and brown dwarfs bringing evidence that these are two different mechanisms. A team of astronomers led by Brendan Bowler of the University of Texas, Austin, conducted observations at the Keck Observatory and with the Subaru Telescope, both in Hawaii, accompanied by computer simulations using the free / open source orbitize! software to try to understand if there were orbital differences that indicated a different origin between these objects. Their conclusion is that brown dwarfs have significantly more elliptical orbits.

Pluto

An article published in the “Journal of Geophysical Research” reports a study on the dwarf planet Pluto and in particular on the heart-shaped region called Tombaugh Regio and its influence on global atmospheric circulation. A team of researchers coordinated by NASA’s Ames Research Center used data collected by the New Horizons space probe to specifically study nitrogen circulation and its cycle appropriately compared to a heart beat. This is another confirmation that Pluto is an active small world despite its small size and thin atmosphere.