The exoplanet was the first super-Earth to be discovered; the term refers to exoplanets (planets discovered outside our solar system) which are larger than Earth but smaller than gas giants such as Neptune and Uranus.
And here is the map! Showing that the dayside of 55 Cancri e is TWICE as hot as the night side. Pass the sunscreen! pic.twitter.com/RyNxIzUh2X
— Jessie Christiansen (@aussiastronomer) 30 марта 2016 г.
Referring to the 55 Cancri e, Brice Olivier Demory of the University of Cambridge lead author of a report published by the journal Nature, said that "our view of this planet keeps evolving."
First temperature map of a super-Earth planet made with @NASAspitzer data https://t.co/hWtTzRsWjk #NASABeyond pic.twitter.com/iKb3Snkz6z
— NASA JPL (@NASAJPL) 30 марта 2016 г.
"The latest findings tell us the planet has hot nights and significantly hotter days. This indicates the planet inefficiently transports heat around the planet," he said.
He added that "could be explained by an atmosphere that would exist only on the day side of the planet, or by lava flows at the planet surface."
The 1st thermal map of a super-Earth, measured by @NASAspitzer and Brice-Olivier Demory! Here is the phase curve… pic.twitter.com/HOA64tZeOp
— Jessie Christiansen (@aussiastronomer) 30 марта 2016 г.
The thermal map reveals a dramatic temperature difference of 2,340 degrees Fahrenheit (1,027 Celsius) from one side of the planet to the other.
The findings baffled the researchers, given that atmospheres tend to take the heat from the day side and spread it around to the dark side, NASA said, adding that the research suggests that 55 Cancri could be devoid of a massive atmosphere as such.
Discovered in 2004, 55 Cancri e is about 40 light-years away from Earth and is thought to be eight times as massive.
