A team of researchers has discovered a fascinating exoplanet located in a distant star system named TOI-6713.01, which may be melting from within due to its active volcanoes. The planet is slightly larger than Earth and takes 2.2 days to complete one orbit around its dwarf star, which is approximately 66 light years away from our solar system.
The surface of the planet is covered with molten lava from hundreds of volcanoes that erupt on its surface, with temperatures exceeding 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit (2,300 degrees Celsius). Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Riverside who led the discovery, described the planet as “Io on steroids,” referring to Jupiter’s third largest moon known for its volcanic activity.
One of the unique features of this exoplanet is its highly elliptical orbit like Mercury, but it is almost within touching distance of its sun. Two other planets in the same star system exert gravitational pull on TOI-6713.01, causing it to experience gravitational tides that stretch and twist the planet’s molten interior as it regularly orbits closer to and farther from its star. This makes TOI-6713.01 a unique discovery in the world of exoplanets.
According to Space.com, TOI-6713.01 literally glows at optical wavelengths due to its extreme temperatures and volcanic activity, making it a fascinating discovery for scientists studying exoplanets.
Follow-up observations are required to confirm the bizarre world’s existence, but if proven true, this discovery will shed new light on our understanding of exoplanets and their unique characteristics.
Overall, this discovery highlights how much there is still left to learn about our universe and opens up new avenues for future research in this exciting field of study.
