Discovery of a new planet named Enaiposha

New Kind of Planet named Enaiposha unlike anything discovered in our solar system

An object we thought belonged to the most common category of planet in the galaxy has turned out to be something we've never seen before. The exoplanet Enaiposha, or GJ 1214 b, is a hazy world orbiting a red dwarf star about 47 light-years from Earth. Previously likened to a mini-Neptune, in-depth observations obtained using JWST now suggest the exoplanet is more like Venus, only much larger. This would make it the first known of its kind, a category astronomers are calling 'Super-Venus'. It started as another exoplanet in a group labeled “ordinary.” No one expected that a world, once thought to be a mini-Neptune, would reveal traits of a super-Venus and change how we see certain planetary types. Astronomers used JWST data to learn more about an unusual place called Enaiposha, which orbits a red dwarf star. Enaiposha is one of the most studied exoplanets in the sky. It was discovered in 2009, with a mass and radius that put it somewhere between Earth and Neptune. Subsequent observations revealed a substantial atmosphere.

Enaiposha, that also goes by the identifier GJ 1214 b, was first placed in a category that normally describes small, gas-rich worlds. New observations, however, suggest that it is more like Venus but on a bigger scale. Researchers propose calling it a super-venus because it appears to have a thick atmosphere composed of hydrogen, helium, water, methane and CO2. This finding came from recent measurements which showed faint traces of molecules at key parts of the spectrum. Exoplanets in this mass regime generally fall into one of two categories. The Super-Earths are thought to be terrestrial exoplanets larger than Earth, hosting hydrogen-rich atmospheres, if they have one at all. When Enaiposha crossed between its star and Earth, tiny dips occurred at points on the spectrograph where certain gases absorb starlight. The data hinted at a metal-rich atmosphere with less hydrogen floating around than scientists had expected. One portion of the team’s work pointed that water vapor was present in the atmosphere, but that alone was not the big story. Small signs of complex metals emerged, which is odd for a planet once categorized in a simpler way. Furthermore, as starlight passed through Enaiposha’s outer layers (atmosphere), certain wavelengths of light were also absorbed which indicated the signatures of CO2 and methane.

So-called mini-Neptunes can be of a similar size, but their composition is significantly different, with denser atmospheres rich in hydrogen and helium, and liquid oceans possibly wrapping their surfaces. Mini-Neptunes are the most numerous of the more than 5,800 confirmed exoplanets at time of writing, which is interesting, because we have nothing directly analogous to them here in our Solar System. Research on Enaiposha, a super-Venus, is still tough because of the haze. Observations pick up only subtle signals from deeper parts of its atmosphere. A single measurement can be overwhelmed by the star’s brightness. Multiple follow-up sessions and new instruments may be needed to confirm all of these ingredients. The study was led by astronomers Everett Schlawin from the University of Arizona and Kazumasa Ohno from the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). The scientists got a faint clue that CO2 may exist in concentrations akin to those found on Venus. They saw how light changed as it went through Enaiposha’s thick skies. “The detected CO2 signal from the first study is tiny, and so it required careful statistical analysis to ensure that it is real,” noted Ohno, the team member leading the theoretical investigations. Experts sometimes place planets slightly bigger than Earth in the super-earth bracket. Those even larger but still under Neptune’s mass sit in the mini-Neptune group. This planet seems to occupy a weird middle zone. The findings have driven some scientists to propose that Enaiposha represents a new sub-type of exoplanet, or at least a neat twist on the usual groupings.

Both super-Earths and mini-Neptunes are intriguing to scientists because, if other conditions are just right, they might be habitable to life as we know it. This is partly why astronomers closely study Enaiposha, a world clocking in at 2.7 times the radius and 8.2 times the mass of Earth. Although the world is far too close to its host star, Orkaria, and therefore far too hot to be likely habitable itself, it's proximity to Earth means we can see it relatively easily, meaning it could give us information which might aid in our understanding other similar exoplanets elsewhere in the galaxy. But Enaiposha poses some problems, too. Its atmosphere is so thick that we can't peer into it very easily. But based on JWST and Hubble observations, the exoplanet may have a water-rich atmosphere which also contains vaporized metals. Sub-Neptune planets that are smaller than Neptune in size are the most common type of planet known to exist in the Milky Way, but they are absent from the solar system. They have atmospheres which consist of a variety of gases and atmospheric spectroscopy is used to analyze what gases are present. Enaiposha differs from a typical sub-neptune in that its upper layers are blanketed by haze and aerosols. This makes it very difficult to analyze the atmosphere spectroscopically to establish which gases form the atmosphere on the exoplanet. Venus also has clouds that block most views of its surface, but Enaiposha takes this phenomenon further. It is bigger, hotter and enveloped by layers which make it especially hard to examine.

New research efforts suggest that we may have missed something. a team of researchers has studied transit data for Enaiposha, and discovered something unexpected. As the exoplanet passed in front of the star, whipping around on its 1.6-day orbit, JWST data suggests that starlight traveling through Enapoisha's atmosphere was altered by CO2, in concentrations similar to the CO2 which makes up more than 96% of the atmosphere of Venus. But the signal was very faint. "The detected CO2 signal from the first study is tiny, and so it required careful statistical analysis to ensure that it is real," Ohno says. "At the same time, we needed the physical and chemical insights to extract the true nature of GJ 1214 b's atmosphere." Some wonder whether similar planets hide in other star systems. It may be risky to assume that everything beyond our Sun fits neatly into known knowledge. Astronomers have found thousands of strange worlds. This one stands out for defying what was presumed normal in the mini-Neptune category of exoplanets. One encouraging aspect is how these methods might apply to places that could harbor life. Enaiposha is scorching, so it is not a promising location for habitability. So, the researchers set about conducting theoretical models which could explain the data. The scenario that best fit the observations, they found, is if Enaiposha has an atmosphere dominated by metals at lower altitudes, and only relatively small amounts of hydrogen. Still, the process of analyzing its hazes and thick skies could help scientists interpret atmospheres around other exoplanets in less extreme locations. This matters for anyone seeking to detect breathable air anywhere beyond our own system.

At higher altitudes, the atmosphere consists of a haze dense with aerosols, as well as the CO2 their reading implied. From this emerges the notion of the super-Venus, a world similar to Venus: very hot, and choked by a carbon-rich atmosphere through which it is difficult to see. But the exoplanet's trickiness has not yet been circumvented. The observed signature is so small that extensive follow-up will be required to determine if the team's conclusions are correct, especially because it's something new. "We stress the importance of high precision follow-up observations to confirm the metal-dominated atmosphere," the researchers write, "as it challenges the conventional understanding of interior structure and evolution of sub-Neptunes." Some want to see whether metals in Enaiposha’s air, as a super-Venus, can form droplets or complex clouds. This might explain why so little light passes through its atmosphere. Others suspect it could be a stepping stone for modeling how thick atmospheres evolve. It might also show that sub-Neptunes can morph into something else with time. In future, further modeling of the planet’s atmosphere, interior structure and origins will provide valuable insights about how sub-Neptunes like GJ 1214 b form and evolve in our universe.

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World's first megawatt-class flying wind turbine

China launched world's first megawatt-class flying wind turbine which floats at 6,000 feet in the Air

World’s first megawatt-class urban-used high-altitude wind power system, the S2000 Stratosphere Airborne Wind Energy System (SAWES), completes its test flight in Yibin, Southwest China’s Sichuan Province. A pioneering energy-generating device utilizes reliable wind speeds at an altitude of 6,000 feet. A massive helium blimp generates megawatt-scale power from high-altitude winds above the clouds. A Chinese energy firm has successfully tested an experimental blimp-like wind turbine capable of generating energy in the skies above cities and inland communities. Developed by Beijing Linyi Yunchuan Energy Technology, the S2000 airborne wind energy system (AWES) is a large, helium-filled airship containing 12 wind turbines. The craft ascends thousands of feet into the air to harness the stable wind speeds at higher altitudes, which spin the turbines and generate electricity. This is then sent down the tethering cable to the ground below, where it can enter the grid. We are finally learning how to farm the sky for energy. All this time, the fastest, most consistent winds on Earth have stayed just out of reach. They swirled thousands of feet above our heads while we struggled to build taller and heavier steel towers on the ground. But in a quiet corner of Sichuan Province, a 197-foot silver giant just proved that we don’t need to build towers as tall as skyscrapers for turbines, we just need a very long leash.

The S2000, a massive airborne wind energy system (AWES), completed a landmark test flight. Developed by Beijing Linyi Yunchuan Energy Technology, this helium-filled “airborne power station” hovered at 6,560 feet (2,000 meters), funneling 385 kilowatt-hours of electricity directly into the local grid. In just 30 minutes, this single floating unit generated enough juice to power an average home for nearly two weeks. In its test flight, the manufacturers flew the S2000 above Sichuan Province, generating 385 kilowatt-hours of electricity. This is enough to power the average household for approximately 13.3 days, per usage figures provided by the US Energy Information Administration. In total, the S2000 clocks in at 197 feet (60 m) long, 131 feet (40 m) high and 131 feet (40 m) wide, as reported. The system is rated at 3 MW total power capacity. The new technology has a couple of potential uses, the developers suggest. "One is for off-grid settings like border outposts, where it can serve as a relatively stable conventional energy source,” explained Weng Hanke, CTO at Linyi Yunchuan Energy Technology, as reported. If realized at scale, the approach could have transformational potential for countries with constrained space for onshore wind generation, such as many in mainland Europe, as well as those without the shallow seabeds necessary for offshore wind power generation, such as Japan. However, the reliability of the tethered cable for delivering stable power to the grid will require further testing.

The S2000 is a behemoth and held up by helium, it doesn’t need a massive foundation. It just needs a high-tension tether that doubles as a power line. Suffice it to say, this is a mobile setup compared to the permanent turbine structures which require a deep foundation. “At its current output level, one hour of operation can generate enough electricity to fully charge approximately 30 top-spec electric vehicles from zero to full,” Dun Tianrui, chief designer of the system, said. The system fits into standard shipping containers and can be inflated and launched in under eight hours. For remote border outposts or islands where building a traditional power plant is impossible, these blimps offer a “plug-and-play” solution for the grid. “One is for off-grid settings like border outposts, where it can serve as a relatively stable conventional energy source,” Weng Hanke explained. “The other is to complement traditional ground-based wind power systems, creating a three-dimensional approach to energy supply.” Wind turbines can generate more power where the wind power density, the measure of wind energy that can be harnessed at a given altitude, is higher. Offshore wind turbines, for example, can capture the higher, more consistent wind speeds over open water. These offshore turbines can also be significantly larger than their onshore counterparts, with the hub of Chinese manufacturer Dongfang Electric’s DEW-26 MW-310 offshore turbine standing at 606.9 feet (185 m). Floating wind turbines can be similarly gigantic, with the tower for the recently-revealed, record breaking floating wind turbine from China Huaneng Group reaching 489 feet (152 m).

For example, the average offshore wind speed deemed suitable for wind farms at 295 feet (90 m) elevation within US waters is 7 meters/second, per the Marine Cadastre National Viewer, a web-based data viewer produced by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management. In all but the most remote rural communities, the 1.25-mile (2,000 m) cable could present a dangerous obstacle to aircraft. In the UK, the Civil Aviation Authority requires those wishing to fly tethered balloons above 200 feet (60 m) to apply for special permission to avoid risk to aircraft sharing airspace with the balloon. Beyond its safety concerns, the S2000 will also need to undergo rigorous testing to ensure its viability for reliable commercial operations. Standard wind turbines require regular maintenance and the craft could prove difficult and more costly to service as it will have to return to the ground for every repair. We have come a long way with this idea. The first airborne wind turbine was demonstrated by Altaeros Energies in 2014, above Alaska. This new S2000 is the successor to the S1500, a smaller but equally impressive unit tested earlier this year in the Xinjiang region. That “basketball court-sized” craft became the first of its kind to hit the one-megawatt power mark. The new S2000 has a power capacity of 3 MW.

The project is the result of a 2018 partnership between Weng Hanke and his former high school classmate, Dun Tianrui. They spent years obsessing over atmospheric physics and lightweight materials, trying to solve the problem of how to send high-voltage power down a mile-long cable without the weight of the cable dragging the blimp out of the sky. By removing the need for massive steel towers, the team claims they can slash material use by 40% and cut the cost of electricity by 30%. In the hyper-competitive world of green energy, those margins are huge. It’s hard to state the exact wind speed at various altitudes, as this varies by location and weather. The aerospace group Omnidea estimates that at altitudes between 328 and 8,200 feet (100 and 2,500 m), wind power density increases by approximately a factor of six, with an average wind speed of 33.5 mph (15 m/s) at 8,200 feet. This highlights the potential efficiencies to be unlocked with greater exploitation of higher-altitude wind speeds with tethered, flying wind turbines such as the S2000.

Near the Earth’s surface, wind is messy. It bumps into trees, buildings, and mountains, losing its punch. But as you climb, the air clears and the wind speed skyrockets. At altitudes between 328 and 8,200 feet (100 to 2,500 meters), wind power density, the actual energy available to be harvested, increases around sixfold. The S2000 is designed to live in that high-energy sweet spot. “Traditional wind turbines operate by rotating their blades when wind strikes them, thereby generating electricity. This generator functions similarly, except that power generation occurs not at ground level but in the air,” explained Weng Hanke, co-founder and CTO of Beijing Linyi Yunchuan Energy Technology. By catching these “rivers of air” in the upper atmosphere, the S2000 avoids the diminishing returns of ground-based wind. Instead of a single spinning fan on a pole, it uses a blimp-like frame to hold 12 lightweight turbines which spin constantly in the steady stratospheric currents. There is also the matter of maintenance. A traditional turbine is hard enough to service at 300 feet. A floating blimp at 6,000 feet has to be winched down to the ground for every repair, which could prove costly and time-consuming. Furthermore, helium is a non-renewable resource which is already in short supply for medical and scientific uses. Relying on it to lift our power plants adds a layer of scarcity to a “renewable” energy source. Despite these hurdles, the SAWES team is pushing for mass production in future. They aren’t just looking at the sky as a place for birds and planes anymore. They see it as a vast, untapped power source which is swirling above us for eons, just waiting for a wire.

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