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EPIC Planet
June 20 , 2018
2349 days
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- Scientists from Physical Research Laboratory (PRL), Ahmedabad have discovered for first time distant planet revolving around Sun-like star.
- Both the planet and the star have been named EPIC.
- The EPIC planet is six times bigger than Earth and mass is about 27 times Earth’s and revolves around host about 600 light years away.
- EPIC planet is smaller in size compared to Saturn and but is bigger than Neptune. Its 60% mass may be made up of heavy elements like ice, silicates and iron.
- The planet is unlikely to be inhabitable because of its high surface temperature of around 600°C.
- EPIC was found circling very close to the Sun-like star, going around it once in about 19.5 days
- PRL is supported mainly by the Department of Space, whose arm ISRO is.
- Significantly, the discovery was made using a PRL-designed spectrograph, PARAS, to measure and confirm the mass of the new planet.
- PARAS is first of its kind spectrograph in the country which can measure the mass of planet going around star.
- It is integrated with 1.2-metre telescope located at PRL’s Gurushikhar Observatory in Mount Abu, Rajasthan.
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