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"These are not the first planets we have discovered. We have made a discovery in 2000 (Qatar-1b) and in 2011 (Qatar-2b). In 2011, we have received funding from QNRF to build three observing stations across the globe where we continuously observe thousands of stars and collect huge amount of data that is being analysed and processed in our institute in Qatar," Subai added.
Dr Dimitris Mislis, a member of the team of scientists who made the discovery, said"The important thing with these three exoplanets is that all of them are close to the host star which is a phenomena we call Tidal Locking. One part of these planets is always night and the other part is always day. The difference of temperature is a couple of hundred degrees which makes life almost impossible there."
Another scientist from the team, Dr Stylianos Pyrzas, said,"Each new planet that we discover is considered an additional piece to a very larger and complicated puzzle. We are gaining knowledge and we are getting one step closer to answering some fundamental questions that still remains open such as how do planets form, how many planets or systems are there and most importantly what are the similarities and differences between our own solar system and other solar systems. Such discoveries give us a full picture and understanding on how the universe works."
