{"id":786312,"date":"2024-07-25T05:37:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-25T10:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=786312"},"modified":"2024-07-25T05:37:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-25T10:37:50","slug":"will-this-hairpin-turn-exoplanet-become-a-hot-jupiter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=786312","title":{"rendered":"Will this \u2018hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet become a hot Jupiter?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Cosmoview Episode 84: WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak Discovers Extremely Strange Orbit of ...\" width=\"1110\" height=\"624\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Ttin9EXDQDU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>The unusual oblong orbit of \u2018hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet TIC 241249530. Video via International Gemini Observatory\/ NOIRLab\/ NSF\/ AURA\/ KPNO\/ R. Proctor\/ J. da Silva\/ Spaceengine\/ M. Zamani\/ ESO\/ L. Cal\u00e7ada\/ M. Kornmesser\/ N. Bartmann\/ YouTube.<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Exoplanet TIC 241249530 has an extremely elongated, cucumber-shaped orbit<\/strong>, making a sharp \u201chairpin turn\u201d every time it approaches its star.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The exoplanet also orbits its star backward<\/strong>, another rare phenomenon among observed transiting exoplanets.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Scientists believe TIC 241249530 may be transitioning into a hot Jupiter<\/strong>, offering insights into planetary migration processes.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Exoplanet with an extreme orbit<\/h3>\n<p>We tend to think of planets orbiting their stars in nice, neat circles. But that\u2019s not always true, not even in our own solar system. Now, astronomers have found an exoplanet with a massively stretched-out orbit. A team of astronomers, led by Penn State University, said on July 17, 2024, that the orbit is the most extreme they\u2019ve ever seen among exoplanets that transit their stars. The shape of the orbit looks more like a cucumber than a circle. The \u2018hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet makes a sharp turn every time it approaches the star. <\/p>\n<p>Plus, the planet is orbiting its star backward, something also not often seen. Although the planet is only close to its star for part of its orbit, the observations provide clues as to how hot Jupiter exoplanets form.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings about the unusual planet in <em>Nature<\/em> on July 17, 2024.<\/p>\n<h3>\u2018Hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet has a stretched-out orbit<\/h3>\n<p>Astronomers have seen exoplanets with elongated orbits before. But the orbit of this planet \u2013 TIC 241249530 \u2013 is <em>really<\/em> stretched out. It looks like a cucumber in shape. So, every time the planet passes closest to its star, it makes a sharp \u201chairpin turn\u201d of sorts. As co-author Suvrath Mahadevan at Penn State said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We caught this massive planet making a sharp, hairpin turn during its close passage to its star. Such highly eccentric transiting planets are incredibly rare, and it\u2019s really amazing that we were able to discover the most eccentric one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Some planets have near-perfect circular orbits. Others are more elongated. But this planet\u2019s orbit is the most extreme seen yet among exoplanets that transit \u2013 pass in front of \u2013 their star as seen from Earth. Its orbital eccentricity \u2013 deviation from a perfect circle \u2013 is 0.94. For comparison, the dwarf planet Pluto\u2019s orbit is also highly elongated, but only has an orbital eccentricity of 0.25. Earth\u2019s orbit is much more circular, at only 0.02.<\/p>\n<p>For TIC 241249530, the researchers said its highly eccentric orbit means there would be wild temperature differences. When it\u2019s farthest from its star, temperatures are about like a summer\u2019s day on Earth. But at its closest, it\u2019s scorching hot.<\/p>\n<p>The planet orbits its star about once every six months.<\/p>\n<h3>Its orbit is backward, too<\/h3>\n<p>Not only is the orbit of the \u201chairpin turn\u201d exoplanet unusual, but the planet is orbiting its star backward, too. That means it orbits in the direction opposite to the rotation of the star, something else astronomers rarely see.<\/p>\n<p>That, plus its weird elongated orbit, make it a rare find for astronomers.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_481509\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481509\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-481509\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View larger. | Artist\u2019s concept of exoplanet TIC 241249530. It has an extremely elongated orbit around its star, orbits its star backward and may be in the process of becoming a hot Jupiter. Image via NOIRLab\/ NSF\/ AURA\/ J. da Silva (Spaceengine). All Rights Reserved.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Will the \u2018hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet become a hot Jupiter?<\/h3>\n<p>In addition, the discovery suggests TIC 241249530 may be in the process of becoming a hot Jupiter. Hot Jupiters are gas giant planets that orbit close to their stars, and so, are extremely hot. Scientists think sometimes \u201cnormal\u201d Jupiters migrate from highly eccentric orbits toward tighter, more circular orbits around their stars.<\/p>\n<p>Lead author Arvind Gupta at Penn State and NOIRLab said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>While we can\u2019t exactly press rewind and watch the process of planetary migration in real time, this exoplanet serves as a sort of snapshot of the migration process. Planets like this are hard to find and we hope it can help us unravel the hot Jupiter formation story.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Astronomers have discovered many hot Jupiters so far, but they are also looking for planets that will likely <em>become<\/em> hot Jupiters in the future. TIC 241249530 seems to fit that bill, as Gupta noted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Astronomers have been searching for exoplanets that are likely precursors to hot Jupiters, or that are intermediate products of the migration process, for more than two decades, so I was very surprised \u2013 and excited \u2013 to find one.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3>Detection and characterization of TIC 241249530<\/h3>\n<p>The astronomers first found TIC 241249530 using NASA\u2019s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in January 2020. They then further confirmed it with the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO). The NN-EXPLORE Exoplanet and Stellar Speckle Imager (NESSI) on WIYN helped to block out twinkling of the planet\u2019s star caused by Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Next, the researchers used the NEID spectrograph and the Habitable Zone Planet Finder (HPF) spectrograph to analyze the light coming from TIC 241249530.<\/p>\n<p>The analysis of the planet also confirmed it is approximately five times more massive than Jupiter.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_481635\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-481635\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/HD80606b-transiting-exoplanet-artist-concept-November-20-2007.png\" alt=\"Reddish planet with banded clouds and bluish illumination on right side.\" width=\"800\" height=\"451\" class=\"size-full wp-image-481635\" srcset=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/HD80606b-transiting-exoplanet-artist-concept-November-20-2007.png 800w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/HD80606b-transiting-exoplanet-artist-concept-November-20-2007-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/07\/HD80606b-transiting-exoplanet-artist-concept-November-20-2007-768x433.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-481635\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">HD 80606b was the previous record holder for a transiting exoplanet with the most eccentric known orbit. Image via NASA\/J PL-Caltech\/ G. Laughlin (UCO\/ Lick Observatory).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>New record holder<\/h3>\n<p>TIC 241249530 now holds the record for transiting exoplanet with the most eccentric orbit. Previously, HD 80606b held that title.<\/p>\n<p>Jason Wright is a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at Penn State and supervised the new study. He explained:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This is the most eccentric transiting planet known and will prove to be as important as the previous record holder, HD 80606b, which likewise has a wacky orbit highly misaligned with its host star\u2019s spin. These two highly eccentric planets have been \u201ccaught in the act\u201d of evolving toward hot Jupiter status. Like HD80606b, this planet is many times Jupiter\u2019s mass, suggesting this channel for forming hot Jupiters might be one only the most massive planets can take.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Wright added:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>We\u2019re especially interested in what we can learn about the dynamics of this planet\u2019s atmosphere after it makes one of its scorchingly close passages to its star. Telescopes like NASA\u2019s James Webb Space Telescope have the sensitivity to probe the changes in the atmosphere of this newly discovered exoplanet as it undergoes rapid heating, so there is still much more for the team to learn about the exoplanet.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Scientists are excited about the early results for TIC 241249530 and about NEID overall. Co-author Andrea Lin, a doctoral student at Penn State, said:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>It\u2019s so exciting to see such great science coming out of NEID within just a few years of operations. We\u2019re just getting started and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish in the future.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bottom line: Astronomers have found a \u201chairpin turn\u201d exoplanet with an extremely elongated orbit. It also orbits its star backward and may eventually become a hot Jupiter.<\/p>\n<p>Source: A hot-Jupiter progenitor on a super-eccentric retrograde orbit<\/p>\n<p>Via Penn State University<\/p>\n<p>Read more: The unexpected, exotic characteristics of hot Jupiters<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"cp-load-after-post\"\/><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"post-author\">\n<h4>Paul Scott Anderson<\/h4>\n<p>                    View Articles\n                  <\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-tags\">\n<h6 data-udy-fe=\"text_7c58270d\">About the Author:<\/h6>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. While in school he was known for his passion for space exploration and astronomy. He started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was a chronicle of planetary exploration. In 2015, the blog was renamed as Planetaria. While interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis, and now currently writes for AmericaSpace and Futurism (part of Vocal). He has also written for Universe Today and SpaceFlight Insider, and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly and has done supplementary writing for the well-known iOS app Exoplanet for iPhone and iPad.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/hairpin-turn-exoplanet-tic241249530-hot-jupiters-exoplanets\/?rand=772280\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The unusual oblong orbit of \u2018hairpin turn\u2019 exoplanet TIC 241249530. Video via International Gemini Observatory\/ NOIRLab\/ NSF\/ AURA\/ KPNO\/ R. Proctor\/ J. da Silva\/ Spaceengine\/ M. Zamani\/ ESO\/ L. Cal\u00e7ada\/&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":786313,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-786312","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-earth-sky"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786312","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=786312"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/786312\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/786313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=786312"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=786312"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=786312"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}