Last Updated on May 23, 2026 by Staff
Astronomers from Italy and Brazil have found an exoplanet orbiting a nearby red dwarf star called Ross 318. They named this world Ross 318 b. This planet is six times bigger than Earth. It could help us find planets that can support life outside our system.
The discovery was published on a website. People are talking about it because of its temperature and its possible atmosphere. Researchers think this super-Earth can tell us about planets around small stars and if they can support life. Ross 318 b is a super-Earth.
Nearby Red Dwarf
Ross 318 also known as Gliese 48 is 28 years away from Earth. It is a cool star. These stars are common in the Milky Way galaxy. They are targets to find exoplanets.
Ross 318 has strong magnetic activity. This makes it hard to find planets around it. The activity creates noise in data. Can look like signals from planets.
A team led by Giuseppe Conzo used methods to study the star over many years.
Long-Term Investigation
The researchers used data from 15 years. They used powerful tools. They looked at measurements from the CARMENES spectrograph and the High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES). They also used NASAs Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
The team used the velocity method. This method finds movements in a star caused by a planet’s gravity. Red dwarf stars are often active. Scientists had to find signals from the star’s activity.
After analysis they found a signal that showed a planet orbits Ross 318 every 39.63 days. Ross 318 b orbits Ross 318.
A Temperate Super-Earth
Ross 318 b is a super-Earth. It is bigger and more massive than Earth but smaller than gas giants like Neptune or Jupiter.
Scientists think the planet has a mass of 6.21 Earth masses. Its radius is 1.74 times that of Earth. It orbits Ross 318 at 0.16 units. That is close to its star.
Its temperature is around 237 Kelvin or minus 36 degrees Celsius. That makes Ross 318 b a good candidate for a planet. Liquid water could exist on Ross 318 b.
Possibility Of Atmosphere
One exciting thing about Ross 318 b is its atmosphere. Researchers think it could be tidally locked. One side faces the star and the other side is dark.
If it has an atmosphere, heat can spread across the surface. That creates conditions on Ross 318 b.
Because of its temperature and possible atmosphere Ross 318 b is a promising candidate for future studies. Scientists hope to use NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to examine Ross 318 bs atmosphere.
A Major Step Forward
The discovery of Ross 318 b is important. It shows how combining methods can overcome challenges from stars. By using spectroscopy and photometry researchers found planetary signals.
Scientists say this approach can improve searches for Earth-like planets. Many were hard to study because of disturbances.
As astronomers explore star systems Ross 318 b could be a key temperate super-Earth. Future observations may reveal if Ross 318 b has clouds, gases or conditions for life.