by the scientistFindAn atmosphereless terrestrial planet GJ 1252b orbiting an M-type red dwarf star. The lack of an atmosphere means life is unlikely to survive on it. Given that M-type red dwarfs are the most common type of stars in the universe, the discovery promises to narrow the scope of scientists’ search for extraterrestrial life.Related research(Preprint) Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. To determine that GJ 1252b has no atmosphere, UC Riverside astronomers measured the planet’s infrared radiation when light was blocked during a second solar eclipse. When a planet passes behind a star, the planet’s light and its reflection from the star are blocked, creating a solar eclipse. The infrared radiation revealed that GJ 1252b’s scorching daytime temperature was estimated to be as high as 1,228 degrees Celsius, so much so that gold, silver and copper would all melt on the planet. The high temperature, coupled with the low surface pressure, led researchers to believe the planet had no atmosphere. Studies have shown that GJ 1252b is slightly larger than Earth and is much closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, making it very hot and unsuitable for life to thrive.
