Humans have been fascinated by the universe for millennia because it is such a large, fascinating, and intimidating place. The question of whether humans are the sole sentient beings in the universe has persisted in human thought. Since the beginning of the hunt for extraterrestrial life less than a century ago, we have already discovered numerous planets in the galaxy that resemble Earth in some ways. A 'super-Earth' with a surface temperature high enough to melt gold is one of these; its name is GJ 1252 b.

The Earth-sized rocky exoplanet GJ 1252 b is so hot that it may not even have an atmosphere, according to recent research by astronomers. As the super-Earth entered a secondary eclipse, an astronomical team utilised the now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope to monitor its infrared radiation. When a planet moves behind its star, it causes a secondary eclipse. The scientists found that GJ 1252 b's dayside temperatures were a scorching 1,228 degrees Celsius, according to NASA. The planet's surface is hot enough for metals like gold, silver, and copper to melt. The research team thinks that such a high temperature is expected of a barren and stony exoplanet.

Estimated temperatures of the planet and atmospheric modelling indicate that its surface pressure is most likely less than 10 bar. The team of scientists concluded that GJ 1252 b most likely lacks any atmosphere due to its extremely high temperatures and low surface pressure. As a result of the discoveries, this is the tiniest exoplanet for which scientists have such an accurate representation of its atmosphere. 2020 saw the discovery of the rocky, terrestrial exoplanet GJ 1252 b. It is larger than Earth, with a radius that is 1.18 times that of the blue planet.

Additionally, the scorching exoplanet is 65 light-years from Earth. Its star and our planet are much more closely spaced within its solar system than they are. GJ 1252 b has a fixed face toward its star, known as its 'dayside.' The temperature increase on the exoplanet is caused by this situation.

Scientists can determine which of these terrestrial exoplanets might be capable of supporting life by comparing these super-Earths to our world.

In a statement, Laura Kreidberg, an exoplanet researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany and a co-author of a new article revealing the discovery, said: 'We're just beginning to learn how often, and under what circumstances, rocky planets may preserve their atmospheres' .