The strange mirror planet is the brightest known world in the universe

The strange mirror planet is the brightest known world in the universe

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LTT9779 b, which orbits a Sun-sized star about 260 light-years from Earth, is even more reflective than Venus, with a reflectivity of 80 percent. The big question for scientists is how this planet can reflect so much light; Because it is so hot that there shouldn’t be any clouds. The very high temperature of the planet is caused by the very close distance to its star; so that it completes its circuit once every 19 hours.

This hellish planet has a slightly larger radius than Neptune (4.7 times that of Earth) and its surface temperature reaches nearly 2000 degrees Celsius. Based on observations of other exoplanets, astronomers were surprised to discover a Neptune-sized world near its host star. In the past, only large Jupiter-sized worlds or smaller worlds near their parent stars were discovered.

The Chiapas satellite observed the planet in 10 different positions as it passed behind its star. During these passes, the telescope measured the combined light emitted by the star and the planet to see how they differ and determine the intrinsic brightness of LTT9779 b.

Based on the observations, scientists concluded that the planet in question must have started life as a gas giant; But over time it has lost its mass. This world must have an atmosphere composed of silicate materials such as glass and titanium; As a result, it effectively has a mirror-like composition. However, at a surface temperature of two thousand degrees Celsius, there should be no clouds; Even clouds made of metal and glass.

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