Astronomers Find Small Rocky Planet – Just Half the Mass of Venus

[Grim Reaper 6]

A team of astronomers has used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in Chile to shed new light on planets around a nearby star, L 98-59, that resemble those in the inner Solar System. Amongst the findings are a planet with half the mass of Venus — the lightest exoplanet ever to be measured using the radial velocity technique — an ocean world, and a possible planet in the habitable zone.

The results are an important step in the quest to find life on Earth-sized planets outside the Solar System. The detection of biosignatures on an exoplanet depends on the ability to study its atmosphere, but current telescopes are not large enough to achieve the resolution needed to do this for small, rocky planets. The newly studied planetary system, called L 98-59 after its star, is an attractive target for future observations of exoplanet atmospheres. Its orbits a star only 35 light-years away and has now been found to host rocky planets, like Earth or Venus, which are close enough to the star to be warm.

With the contribution of ESO’s VLT, the team was able to infer that three of the planets may contain water in their interiors or atmospheres. The two planets closest to the star in the L 98-59 system are probably dry, but might have small amounts of water, while up to 30% of the third planet’s mass could be water, making it an ocean world.

https://scitechdaily.com/astronomers-find-small-rocky-planet-just-half-the-mass-of-venus/

[jethrofloyd]

47 minutes ago, Manwon Lender said:

Amongst the findings are a planet with half the mass of Venus

What is that mass when compared to the mass of Earth?

[Grim Reaper 6]

1 minute ago, jethrofloyd said:

What is that mass when compared to the mass of Earth?

I am not certain, if it's not in the link. Let me see if I can find more information on subject if I can I will mention you.