IAS Gyan

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YZ Ceti b

20th April, 2023 Science and Technology

Disclaimer: Copyright infringement not intended.

Context

  • This October, the constellation of Cetus would be visible to the unaided eye.
  • For this, one would be looking in the general direction of an alien world called YZ Ceti b.

About

  • YZ Ceti b is a rocky, earth-sized exoplanet (a planet that orbits a star other than our sun) rotating around a small red dwarf star.
  • It orbits an M-type star.
  • Its mass is 0.7 Earths, it takes 2 days to complete one orbit of its star, and is 0.01634 AU from its star.
  • Its discovery was announced in 2017.
  • YZ Ceti, is barely 12 light-years from Earth.

All of the planets in our solar system orbit around the Sun. Planets that orbit around other stars are called exoplanets.

EXOPLANET: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/exoplanet-hd106906-b

WATER WORLDS: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/water-worlds

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Which of the following methods are used to detect exoplanets?

a)    Measuring the dimming of a star that happens to have a planet pass in front of it, called the transit method.

b)    Monitoring the spectrum of a star for the tell-tale signs of a planet pulling on its star and causing its light to subtly Doppler shift.

1.    Only a

2.    Only b

3.    Both a and b

4.    None of the above.

Correct Answer: Option 3

https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/science/yz-ceti-b-exoplanet-radio-signals-magnetic-field-habitability/article66729018.ece