Scientists discover new new planet 'Super Earth' also known as GJ 536 b

Scientists in Spain have discovered a new planet which they termed ‘Super Earth’ with a mass around 5.4 times that of the Earth orbiting a very bright star which is also called 'red dwarf' near to our Sun.

Super Earth is also called GJ 536 b, which is not within the star’s habitable zone. This exoplanet has short orbital period of 8.7 days and the luminosity of its star make it an attractive candidate for investigating its atmospheric composition, said researchers.

The star, GJ 536, is a red dwarf which is quite cool and near to our Sun, they said. “This rocky exoplanet is orbiting a star much smaller and cooler than the Sun. But it is sufficiently nearby and bright,” said researcher Jonay Isai Gonzalez.

“It is also observable from both the northern and southern hemispheres, which is very interesting for future high-stability spectrographs, and in particular, for the possible detection of another rocky planet in the habitability zone of the star,” said Gonzalez.

(with inputs from PTI)