In a recent piece of news, researchers have identified the first sign of a magnetic field surrounding a planet outside of our solar system. According to one of the contributing authors of the research, this is the very first time that the sign of an exoplanet’s magnetic field has been directly detected on a planet outside our solar system.
The magnetic field plays an essential role in protecting the Earth. In fact, the earth’s magnetic field acts as a shield against the solar winds—energetic particles from the sun. Studies suggest that magnetic fields could also play a similar role on other planets. This is the very first time we have been able to get a confirmation on that.
An active magnetic field of HAT-P-11 b
The exoplanet HAT-P-11 b, discovered in 2009, has confirmed an active magnetic field. It was further confirmed and characterized using radial velocity measurements from the Keck Observatory, which is a standard method for detecting distant planets. The team used Hubble to detect the exoplanet.
Although Hubble was not designed for this kind of investigation, it has, however, managed to pick up some exciting pieces on the exoplanet’s composition. HAT-P-11 b is just 8% of Jupiter’s mass but has similarly low metal content and a powerful magnetic field for its size. Meanwhile, smaller gas giants in our solar system like Neptune have higher metal and weaker magnetospheres.
This indicates that we are behind the missing puzzle to learning planetary formation.
The universe is mysterious. Every day, scientists are attempting to uncover its darkest mysteries lurking through its darkest corners. There are uncountable mysteries that we are yet to uncover. Moreover, scientists are definitely acing their everyday research to detect multiple other solar systems that are spinning somewhere farther in the corners of the universe. But, are we going to succeed in unveiling the numerous uncountable mysteries that the universe holds in its chest?
How far have we come in unraveling the secrets of the universe?
We have come a long way in unraveling the several mysteries of the universe. From the existence of the multiverse to the drifting through the edge of the universe, scientists and researchers have come a long way in disclosing some of the universal secrets. Every day, we are getting one step closer to understanding the mechanism of the universe, including the method of planetary formation, the distance of black holes from the earth, the expiration of the sun to the edge of the universe.
One thing that is worth pondering is that space, as in the universe, does not function the way we assume it to. It is definitely enigmatic in its own way, but its mechanisms are hard to understand. Even though we get closer to spilling all of its secrets on the table, we are ought to miss out on something.
For instance, we are aware that it all started with the big bang. We know that the big bang resulted in the formation of the universe. But, what exactly initiated the big bang? Another question is what will happen when the universe expires? Will everything expand and finally cease into cloud matters? What will further happen when the universe expires?
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