Assistant Professor From IIT Kanpur Was A Member Of The Team That Found The Exoplanet!

A massive exoplanet orbiting a nearby star that resembles our Sun has been found by an international team of astronomers including Dr. Prashant Pathak from IIT-Kanpur. Since the mass of the exoplanet, Epsilon Indi Ab (Eps Ind Ab), is at least six times that of Jupiter, it is categorised as a "super-Jupiter." An IIT-Kanpur announcement claims that this is the first mature exoplanet found via direct imaging.

"This discovery is a major milestone in exoplanet research and sets the stage for future discoveries," said Manindra Agrawal, director of IIT-Kanpur. The discovery's significance was underscored by Dr. Prashant Pathak, who also noted the planet's unique atmospheric makeup, which includes a high metal content and a distinct carbon-to-oxygen ratio. He noted, "This opens up fascinating questions about its formation and evolution."

The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was utilised to make the finding. The planet revolves around Epsilon Indi A, a K5V-type star that is 12 light-years away from Earth. The exoplanet orbits its star at a distance 28 times larger than that of Earth and the Sun, with a temperature of roughly -1°C (30°F).

It is indeed a proud moment for all of us and we wish the professor all the very best for his future endeavours.