The Dense Iron Core and Scorched Crust of Exoplanet
In the constellation Vela, approximately 31 light-years from Earth, orbits one of the most physically extreme terrestrial worlds discovered to date: Gliese 367 b (cataloged as GJ 367 b). Classified as an ultra-short period (USP) sub-Earth exoplanet, GJ 367 b completes a full revolution around its parent M-dwarf star in just 7.7 hours. This hyper-velocity orbit places the world mere 1.05 million kilometers from the stellar surface, exposing its bare, rocky surface to relentless bombardment from stellar radiation, severe tidal forces, and intense thermal energy. First detected by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and subsequently characterized through high-precision radial velocity measurements using the HARPS spectrograph, GJ 367 b presents an uncommon physical baseline. Despite having a radius only 70 percent that of Earth, its mass remains exceptionally high at roughly 55 percent of Earth's mass. This...