Per la prima volta nella storia gli astronomi potrebbero essere riusciti a identificare una luna all’esterno del sistema solare (ovvero una “esoluna”). Si tratta di Kepler-1625b-i, un mostro delle dimensioni di Nettuno orbitante attorno all’unico pianeta del sistema stellare Kepler-1625, a 8'000 anni luce dalla Terra.
La ricerca è stata possibile grazie alle osservazioni del telescopio spaziale Hubble della NASA/ESA e a dati più vecchi provenienti dal telescopio Kepler: due ricercatori della Columbia University di New York hanno osservato un particolare oscuramento della luce stellare mentre il pianeta era in transito davanti alla sua stella madre. "Abbiamo visto piccole deviazioni e oscillazioni nella curva di luce che hanno attirato la nostra attenzione", ha detto David Kipping, uno degli autori dello studio.
Le insolite dimensioni della esoluna, spiega poi Alex Teachey, secondo autore della ricerca, "potrebbero fornire nuove conoscenze sullo sviluppo dei sistemi planetari e potrebbero indurre gli astronomi a rivedere le teorie su come si formano le lune”.
Il primo esopianeta, ovvero un pianeta al di fuori del nostro sistema solare, era stato trovato trenta anni fa, e da allora gli astronomi ne individuano regolarmente di nuovi. Ma la ricerca di esolune, fino ad oggi, non aveva avuto successo.
Guarda che luna...aliena
Telegiornale 04.10.2018, 22:00
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