TestCloud
Prep • Practice • Perform
Log In

A small rocky planet named 'Barnard b' has been detected by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT).

Science and Technology | Dated: 18 Oct 2024

Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, which is a red dwarf star and the closest single star to our Sun. This finding was made using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A).

🎯 Key Highlights:

  • - Barnard b is a newly discovered exoplanet with an estimated diameter of about 6,000 miles (9,700 kilometers), roughly three-quarters the size of Earth.

💡 Other Important Facts:

  • (i) Barnard b is an exoplanet located twenty times closer to its star than Mercury is to the Sun, completing an orbit in just 3.15 Earth days. With a surface temperature of around 125 °C, it is notable for being one of the lowest-mass exoplanets known, with a mass less than that of Earth.
  • (ii) There are three other potential planets around Barnard's star, with masses ranging from 20% to 30% of Earth's mass. All of these potential planets appear to be rocky and smaller than Earth.

📚 Test Your Knowledge:

What is the name of the recently detected small rocky planet by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT)?

Correct Answer: Barnard b

🚀 Quick Recap: