Exoplanets Like Ice Cream

You can believe it or not if the Solar System also has something hehe... like feeling alone, have a taste? Like food alone, maybe like ice cream! The favorite ice cream desserts have plenty of flavors and at least 3 "main or basic" flavors ie, chocolate, vanilla, and strawberries, do you have a favorite flavor? I hope each of us has a special taste.

^{Illustration of dwarf planet gas..pixabay}

Probably everyone already tasted the two flavors mix of ice cream. Flavors of fruit, food, and many others, but the taste of vanilla and chocolate is the most sought-after taste by ice cream connoisseurs. But wait a minute, we're talking about the Solar System! It turns out our planetary system is composed of two flavors derived from the Solar System. The first flavors are shaped on giant gas planets such as Jupiter and Neptune, and the latter or the second is a terrestrial planet or any other name of a small rocky planet like the planet we live in today.

For other flavors, there may not be any current in the solar system, unfortunately, yes! If Neapolitan ice cream has 3 different flavors, you'll be curious about the taste. Strawberry flavor is probably the most sought after by ice cream lovers. We may look for that flavor on the planet we find. But maybe there is a taste of strawberries?

Unfortunately, there is no sense of strawberries in the Solar System. Though surely there are those who like ice cream Neapolitan which has 3 flavors. How about the planets that have been found. Is there a strawberry-flavored planet?

But for a planet like the taste of strawberries, it should astronomically have a size 1-4 times the size of Earth. Is there a planet like that? it does not seem to exist in the solar system, but in other stars, it is just as it has been found by Kepler's spacecraft. The observed exoplanet is smaller than 4 times the size of the earth and occupies about 3/4 of the planets seen by Kepler. And in general if the size is less than 4 times the Earth, then the exoplanet (if rocky planet) could potentially support life and of course, it's a searching planet.

The exoplanet by astronomers is divided into three groups, from exoplanet-exoplanet studies that have been found based on the compositions that make up them. 3 groups of medium-sized dwarf gas planets, giant gas planets, and terrestrial planets.

The classification must also be determined by astronomers

To find exoplanets astronomers rely heavily on Kepler's spacecraft, supposing it is their eye out there. How to find the exoplanet by looking at the flicker of a star because that's when a planet has passed through the star. Even though very small dimming occurs when the star blinks briefly, it is known that there is something that has crossed the star.

The size of the planet that crosses the star can also be determined by the transit method from the amount of starlight blocked by the planet. To calculate the density of the planet astronomers would have to know the mass of the planet in search of a planetary composition. If the smaller the planet would be difficult for astronomers to know the mass of the planet. It's even harder if it's a very dim far star.

A different approach is needed, as did Lars A. Buchhave who led the research from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). Heavy elements in astronomers are elements other than helium, and hydrogen also called metals. From the same material disk that has formed planets and stars. The composition of the protoplanet disk is the same as in the metal content of the star.

^{The gas and dust disks that form the planetary system.,pixabay}

Spectrum analysis is needed to be done on this research which is also done by Buchhave and team. Analysis of over 600 exoplanets that inhabit more than 400 stars. They astronomers can group the planets into natural groups and also their metal content is the result of the spectrum analysis.

Composition and Classification Exoplanet

Then the dividing boundary there are two main ones are the planets that are 3.9 times larger than Earth and also planets larger than 1.7 Earths size. The gas planet is larger than 3.9 times Earth while the rocky planet size is less than 1.7 Earth-size. These limits are markers of composition changes.

^{comparison of rocky planets and giant gas planets.wikipedia}

Well, planets with a size of 1.7 to 3.9 times Earth will occupy a new class of gas dwarf planet, because these planets have a thick atmosphere of hydrogen and helium. In addition, the core of the dwarf planet gas is the nucleus of the rock formed first before then accumulating or capturing the gas to join. In its formation, this class exoplanet does not grow to a giant gas planet like Jupiter.

On planets that have a very thick layer of the atmosphere with the content of helium and hydrogen then grouped as a dwarf planet gas, gas dwarf planets also occupy a new class of planets that have a size of 1.7 to 3.9 times Earth. Having a rock core that is formed already first and so will capture is also called gas accumulate to further join. We will not see giant gas planets like Jupiter in this class exoplanet, it does not grow much larger in its formation.

Here we also cannot confirm the largest size of the rocky planet, according to Buchhave and the team, we can see them astronomers still have a big job waiting ahead. Especially after the discovery of Kepler-10c rocky planet that is 17 times the size of our Earth. The planet grows larger by first accumulating or accumulating a very thick atmosphere and so on, transforming itself into a dwarf planet when it gets farther away from the star. The dwarf planet gas is also thought to come from a Super-Earth planet that continues to grow larger and transform.

^{Size comparison of Kepler-10 c with Earth and Neptune,wikipedia}

Stars that have small planetary planets will tend to have a metal composition similar to the sun, according to the research team. The dwarf planet is thought to have a star that is slightly richer in metals. While on giant gas planets they have stars that are very rich in metals, have about 50% more of the Sun.

To build a giant gas planet we have to get stars that are very rich in metals. We must look for stars very similar to the Sun because we can find rock planets that will be similar to our Earth.

And also the composition of the planet is not only composed of only metal content. Moreover, Buchhave and his team in the study are still limited to the planets are close and of course, that is easier to be observed by Kepler. In this study, we still need the continuation to better understand the planet far from its parent star and also has a wider orbit of course. Hopefully, in the future, we will get more exciting news. Thanks!