​An Earth-sized planet in our solar system’s galactic neighborhood is providing the best clues yet about exoplanetary volcanism, with observations by scientists suggesting a rugged and rocky planet rocked by constant eruptions, Reuters and Agerpres report.

The planet, the third discovered planet to orbit a star, is likely covered in volcanoes — similar to Io, one of Jupiter’s moons, the most volcanically active body in our solar system, scientists said Wednesday.

In our solar system, Earth and Venus are volcanically active, as are some of Jupiter’s moons.

The exoplanet volcanism the researchers are currently studying has not been directly observed, but rather has been suggested by the strong gravitational interaction with two other, larger planets that in turn orbit a star in their own solar system that is less luminous than our Sun.

The gravitational pull of the larger planet acts on the newly discovered planet, causing the internal temperature to rise and causing surface volcanic activity, as occurs on Io, researchers say.

“There is no direct observational evidence for exoplanetary volcanism yet, but this planet is a particularly likely candidate,” said University of Kansas astronomy professor Ian Crossfield, one of the authors of the study published in the journal Nature.

It is a planet that does not rotate, one side of it is always in light, and the other is in darkness.

Extreme conditions on the studied exoplanet

“On the other hand, the temperatures are too high for liquid water to exist, so it’s probably very dry and scorching here—like a desert. On the dark side, it’s entirely possible that there is a massive glacier,” said study co-author Bjorn Benneke, head of the astronomy group at the University of Montreal.

“The most interesting area is near the terminator, where the light side meets the dark. Here, dark side glacier water can melt with the possibility of surface liquid water. “Furthermore, there is likely volcanism all over the planet, even under the ice on the dark side and possibly underwater near the terminator,” Benneke said.

The planet is located in the Milky Way, at a distance of 86 light years from our solar system in the direction of the constellation Crater.

The exoplanet is slightly larger than Earth and orbits very close to a red dwarf star – a much smaller variety than our Sun, with a relatively low mass and temperature – completing its elliptical journey around it in just 2.8 days.

The temperature on the surface seems to be slightly higher than on Earth. An exoplanet located at the inner edge of the so-called habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, of the star it orbits — neither too hot nor too cold — it is likely capable of holding liquid water on its surface and harboring life forms.

Researchers believe that the planet has an atmosphere

“I imagine a young surface, uneven after millions of years of constant volcanic activity. Because the effects of gravity are not different on the bright and dark side, I also suspect that volcanic activity is evenly distributed across the surface of the planet,” said Stephen Kane, an astrophysicist and astrophysicist at the University of California Riverside Planetarium. co-author of the study.

“Because the planet is so volcanically active, it contributes to the release of gases from the subsurface into the atmosphere. So the planet probably still has an atmosphere. However, it is unlikely to be able to support life, as the total amount of energy creates a rather hostile environment. But who knows? Life can find a way,” Kane added.

The orbit of the exoplanet is between two other planets – the inner one, about 20% larger than Earth, and the outer one, about 250% larger than our planet.

Researchers discovered the planet using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the now-defunct Spitzer Space Telescope, as well as several ground-based observatories.

“There are a lot of unknowns about volcanism and how long the planet can sustain the gassing processes,” Kane said, referring to the release of trapped gases that occurs through eruptions.

“It was only recently confirmed that Venus, Earth’s twin, is volcanically active,” he recalled.

Don’t forget you can now also find us on our HotNews Science Facebook page if you’re in the field.