Scientists discover exoplanet orbiting Barnard's star, the second closest star system to Earth

By Necva Tastan Sevinc

ISTANBUL (AA) - Scientists from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have made a groundbreaking discovery by observing a planet orbiting Barnard's Star, the second closest star system to Earth, the observatory announced on Tuesday.

The discovery was achieved through observations conducted at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) observatory in Chile. The exoplanet, named "Barnard b," has a remarkably short orbital period, completing a year in approximately 3.15 Earth days.

After five years of meticulous research, the team confirmed the presence of Barnard b, which has an estimated surface temperature of around 125 degrees Celsius. The findings were validated using various instruments, including the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS), Carmenes, and ESPRESSO spectrographs.

Importantly, this discovery contradicts a 2018 study that suggested the existence of a planet around Barnard's Star, as the current research data did not support those earlier findings. In addition to Barnard b, the research team identified traces of three other potential exoplanets that may also be orbiting the star.

Jonay Gonzalez Hernandez, one of the researchers, highlighted that Barnard b is one of the lowest mass planets discovered to date. However, he noted that the planet's proximity to its star makes it inhospitable for life as we know it, as it is too hot to support liquid water on its surface.

The study detailing this discovery was published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.