Current News Science & Technology

PRL Ahmedabad Researchers discover ‘Hot Jupiter’ HD 82139b

• Scientists from the Ahmedabad-based Physical Research Laboratory (PRL) have discovered an exoplanet that is 725 light years away from us and orbiting an ageing star that has 1.5 times the mass of our Sun.
• The star is known as HD 82139 as per the Henry Draper catalogue and TOI 1789 as per the TESS catalogue. Hence, the planet is known as TOI 1789b or HD 82139b as per the IAU nomenclature.
• This newly discovered star-planet system is a very unique - the planet orbits the host star in just 3.2 days, thus placing it very-very close to the star at a distance of 0.05 AU (roughly one-tenth the distance between Sun and Mercury).
• There are less than 10 such close-in systems known among the zoo of exoplanets known so far.
• Because of the close proximity of the planet to its host star, it is extremely heated with a surface temperature reaching up to 2000 K, and hence an inflated radius, making it one of the lowest density planets known (density of 0.31 gram per cc). Such close-in exoplanets around stars (with distance less than 0.1 AU) with masses between 0.25 to a few Jupiter mass are called "Hot-Jupiters".

(Image Source: ISRO)

News Crux Important Days/Weeks

25 November: International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women

The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is observed on 25th November to promote awareness about the most widespread, persistent and devastating human rights violations in our world today due to the impunity, silence, stigma, and shame surrounding it.

• This year’s theme for the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is “Orange the World: Fund, Respond, Prevent, Collect!”.

16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence

• The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that will be launched on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day.
• It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.
• It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.
• In support of this civil society initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations.
• The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”