LHS 3844 b

LHS 3844 b is a super-Earth exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star LHS 3844, located about 48.5 light-years away in the constellation Indus. Discovered in 2018 by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), it’s one of the closest rocky exoplanets ever found—and one of the most brutally exposed.

Orbital & Physical Characteristics

• 🔄 Orbital Period: ~11 hours (0.4629 days)

• 📏 Distance from Star: ~0.00622 AU

• 📐 Radius: ~1.3 Earth radii

• ⚖️ Mass: ~2.25 Earth masses

• 🌡️ Temperature: ~1,040 K (770°C / 1,410°F) on the dayside

• 🌗 Albedo: <0.2 — very dark surface, like Mercury or the Moon

Atmospheric Status

• ❌ No detectable atmosphere: Observations show almost no heat transfer to the nightside, suggesting a bare rocky surface

• 🌬️ Possible causes:

  • Formed inside the system’s snow line, lacking volatiles

  • Volatile-poor mantle with stagnant lid tectonics

  • Atmospheric loss from intense stellar flares

  • Potential massive impact event stripping the atmosphere

Scientific Significance

• 🔍 Surface studies: Its lack of atmosphere allows direct observation of surface composition and thermal behavior

• 🧪 Atmospheric loss models: LHS 3844 b is a key test case for understanding how red dwarf stars affect planetary atmospheres

• 🌌 Naming: In 2023, it was officially named Kua'kua, meaning “coral” in Bribri, by a Costa Rican team through the NameExoWorlds project
  
  Sorry, I couldn't find any images for LHS 3844 b, I only found one, :(.