EPIC 228813918 b completes an orbit around its host star in just 4.5 hours, making one day on Earth equivalent to 5 years on this planet.
An international team of scientists, using data obtained from NASA’s Kepler space telescope to measure the orbits of distant planets, has discovered that EPIC 228813918 b orbits its star much faster than Earth. The results of the study were subsequently submitted to the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, according to MSN.
A planet orbiting an M dwarf star. (Photo: NASA).
EPIC 228813918 b orbits a M dwarf star named EPIC 228813918. With an orbital period of less than 4.5 hours, one day on Earth equates to over 5 years on this planet. Therefore, if humans lived on EPIC 228813918 b, they could potentially have a lifespan of up to 150,000 years.
However, scientists believe that the intense radiation generated when EPIC 228813918 b gets too close to its host star could impact life there. If one were to maintain a normal lifestyle, each time you lay down to sleep, you would sleep for up to 2 years, making those 150,000 years pass by very quickly.
Interestingly, EPIC 228813918 b is approximately the size of Earth, with an estimated composition of 45% iron. However, it is not the planet with the shortest orbital period ever discovered. The planet KOI 1843.03, which orbits its M dwarf star 4 minutes faster, is also of similar size and has a composition rich in iron.
