Astronomers have made an exciting discovery: the Earth-size exoplanet SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting an ultra-cool red dwarf star located 55 light-years away. This new planetary system, named after the “Search for habitable Planets Eclipsing Ultra-cool Stars” (SPECULOOS) project, marks just the second discovery of a planetary system around a red dwarf star.
Red dwarfs are a common type of star in the Milky Way, making up over 70% of the stars in our galaxy. They are cooler and dimmer than our Sun, but intriguingly long-lived, with lifespans of 100 billion years or more. The discovery of SPECULOOS-3 b provides valuable insights into the potential for life to exist around such stars, particularly due to the long timeframes they offer for the development of life.
SPECULOOS-3 b was discovered using infrared observations by the SPECULOOS project, which aims to detect rocky exoplanets around nearby ultra-cool stars like red dwarfs. The planet orbits its star similar in size to Jupiter, and intriguingly, its orbit takes about 17 hours, suggesting it is tidally locked with one side always facing the star in perpetual day, and the other in eternal darkness.
This discovery represents an important step in understanding the diversity and potential habitability of exoplanets in our galaxy. As astronomers continue to explore the cosmos, the search for exoplanets and the potential for life beyond our solar system remains an area of great interest and excitement.
