One of the most terrifying super-Earths in the universe has emerged.

(NLĐO) - The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered a sky bubbling with toxic gas on a super-Earth just 35 light-years away from us.

Scientists have just unveiled the mystery of L 98-59 d, a super-Earth orbiting the red dwarf star L 98-59, located just 35 light-years from us.

This red dwarf system, with several orbiting planets, was previously known thanks to NASA's TESS telescope, but only in a rudimentary way.

Now, thanks to the superior power of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Telescope (the space agencies of the United States, Europe, and Canada), L 98-59 d has become the smallest world humanity has ever observed in the atmosphere.

The super-Earth L 98-59 d has a deadly atmosphere - Graphic: NASA

L 98-59 d is a rocky planet similar to Earth, only slightly larger—about 1.5 times the size. But it's a hellish world.

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Writing in the scientific journal The Conversation, Dr. Agnibha Banerjee from the Open University of the UK stated that the atmosphere of this super-Earth is densely packed with sulfur dioxide ( _SO₂ ) and hydrogen sulfide ( _H₂S ).

These gases were identified based on spectroscopic data collected by James Webb about the planet.

According to the authors, this is a surprising finding because this atmosphere is completely opposite to the atmospheres of rocky planets in the Solar System, where water vapor and carbon dioxide ( _CO2 ) are much more prevalent.

For example, Earth's atmosphere is rich in nitrogen and oxygen, with a small amount of water vapor. Venus's deadly atmosphere is also mostly carbon dioxide, and so is Mars.

Scientists used a computer model to paint a potential picture of the planet's death sky and concluded that these features were formed by processes entirely different from those occurring within our solar system.

"This suggests unique and extreme conditions on L 98-59 d, such as a molten or volcanic surface," said Dr. Banerjee.

The presence of SO₂ and H₂S also raises questions about their origin.

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The most likely scenario is a volcanic eruption caused by tidal heating, very similar to what is observed on Jupiter's moon Io.

The gravitational pull of its parent star on L 98-59 d stretches and compresses it as it moves through its orbit, heating the planet's center, melting its interior, and creating extreme volcanic eruptions and even oceans of magma.

Therefore, this super-Earth is not a promised land for life. But according to Dr. Banerjee, this extreme world is still a great discovery, helping us understand the diversity of planetary evolution across the galaxy.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/mot-trong-nhung-sieu-trai-dat-dang-so-nhat-vu-tru-lo-dien-196241118083500669.htm