GJ 367b: Astronomers discover Ultra Short Planet

December 3, 2021

The astronomers recently found GJ 367b, a small planet that is circling a dim red dwarf star. The star is 31 light years away from the sun.

The GJ 367b is a rocky planet. It is 70% the size of the earth. And it is 55% the mass of the earth. This makes GJ 367b one of the lightest known exoplanets.
The planet completes its orbit in 7.7 hours. Thus, it is called the Ultra Short Period Planet.
The planet is dominated by an iron core. It is because of this reason the planet has high density.
The planet has a disproportionately large core. The core is made of iron and nickel. This particular property of the planet is similar to Mercury. Also, it is this property of Mercury that differentiates it from the rest of the planets in solar system.

TESS is Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The GJ 367b was identified using the data provided by TESS. TESS revealed the super short orbital period of GJ 367b.
Also, HARPS (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher) helped the researchers to calculate the mass of the planet. HARPS is an instrument installed on a 3.6 metre telescope located in European Southern Observatory in Chile.