Have you ever considered whether another planet in our solar system might provide enough habitat for humans to exist on? Proxima Centauri b is located within its star’s habitable zone and could contain liquid water supplies for life to exist there.
Earth-mass exoplanets that orbit nearby stars receive approximately equal energy input as our Sun, making this planet one of the closest known examples located within their habitable zone.
Proxima Centauri
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of Proxima Centauri b, which orbits the star nearest our sun. It’s only four light years away!
This planet boasts a mass equivalent to 1.07 Earths and orbits its star every 11 days. Situated within its star’s habitable zone, it may support liquid water on its surface; however, we don’t yet know whether there is an atmosphere present or any life forms on it.
Astronomers have long attempted to understand Proxima Centauri b since its discovery. Since Earth system science models can give an idea of its behaviour, astronomers have modelled Proxima Centauri b’s world using Earth system science models for Proxima Centauri b and determined that it likely features oceans surrounding a central continent (similar to the Pacific Ocean on Earth) with thick dark clouds covering any potential continent that might exist there – something similar could also apply here!
Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star, meaning that it emits less energy than our Sun. This should lessen any severe meteorological events which might disrupt an exoplanet’s atmosphere; however, any organisms on its surface will still face extreme temperatures and pressure from this intense source of heat and pressure.
Scientists have conducted climate simulations of Proxima Centauri b to increase understanding of its potential for life. They compared these simulations with observations made during the Pale Red Dot campaign analyzing how starlight passes through its atmosphere; using this data they estimated mass and density; this allowed them to assess whether the planet was made of rock or some other substance.
Although Proxima Centauri may seem attractive, humans remain too distant from its orbit for travel there directly. Voyager 1 would require 67,000 years at its current speed to arrive there at its present pace. But in the near future, massive ground-based telescopes and specially designed space telescopes may become operational that could directly image planets like Proxima Centauri b directly, providing unprecedented insight into their composition and atmosphere.
TRAPPIST-1
Last year, astronomers announced the discovery of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, a dim red dwarf star just 40 light years from Earth. All seven planets reside within its habitable zone – meaning that they could potentially host liquid water on their surfaces given sufficient atmospheric conditions – making TRAPPIST-1 one of the most promising planetary systems for life beyond our solar system.
Astronomers had originally predicted only a handful of planets orbiting this star, but their follow-up observations revealed seven planets altogether. Three are located within their habitable zones – likely with rocky surfaces with temperatures sufficient for water to exist on them – providing more evidence that this system indeed hosts life.
However, due to being close to their host stars, planets have all absorbed decades worth of high-energy radiation that could potentially boil away much of the surface water and vapor – leaving only frozen land as evidenced on planet surfaces. Although this does not indicate uninhabitability for life to flourish, but does make survival much harder on such planets.
Scientists are creating models of the planets in TRAPPIST-1 system in order to gauge how much bombardment each of them have experienced over time – this is particularly relevant as bombardment can have an enormous effect on whether a planet can support life. Furthermore, scientists use these models as an aid for understanding how atmospheric composition may have changed over time on these worlds.
Scientists are conducting intensive planetary research beyond models, using various techniques such as transit observations, transmission spectroscopy, density measurements and theories on formation and migration of planets. Soon enough the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will allow scientists to investigate atmospheric composition on various planets.
Trappist-1e stands out among the seven planets for hosting life, as it boasts a radius of 0.91 Earths and lies in its host star’s habitable zone. Scientists speculate that Trappist-1e should share similar temperatures as Earth and has very low albedo (which indicates dense clouds should cover its surface), along with having an orbital period that allows it to warm up more gradually while keeping water from evaporating into space.
Wolf 1069 b
Finding an Earth-like planet outside our solar system has long been one of the ultimate goals of extraterrestrial study, and astronomers may have made significant strides towards this end: they recently identified Wolf 1069 b, an Earth-size exoplanet 31 light years away which may support life – made this discovery by MPIA scientist Diana Kossakowski led team.
Wolf 1069 b is likely tidally locked, meaning it takes the same amount of time for its rotation on its axis and around its star, creating constant daylight on one side of the planet at all times. Astronomers believe this doesn’t preclude habitability however as temperatures may reach 55 degrees Fahrenheit on this side allowing liquid water to exist on it.
Additionally, the team is confident that this planet is free from stellar activity and intense UV radiation that could otherwise rob it of its atmosphere, increasing its odds that substantial quantities remain, making it one of few potential targets for searching biosignatures and indicators of life as stated in a release.
Astronomers speculate that our planet might feature oceans and volcanic activity, with oceans covering most of its surface area and maybe volcanic activity too; however, their research team is still trying to establish exactly how habitable the planet might be. They are running simulations on its weather patterns as well as testing various terrain types on how they might impact its climate.
Wolf 1069 b is one of six Earth-mass planets discovered within their star’s habitable zone during the last 30 years; these five planets include Proxima Centauri b, TRAPPIST-1 e, GJ 1061 d, Teegarden’s Star c and K2-415 b. Due to its closeness with its star, it provides one of the best targets for searching for signs of past or present life.
LHS 475 b
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have made a groundbreaking discovery with its groundbreaking mission – identifying an Earth-sized planet located 41 light-years away in Octans constellation and orbiting around its star. JWST was first capable of identifying such world, setting its mission afoot and signalling future discoveries of similar types as it completes its mission.
The LHS 475b planet was detected by the telescope’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec), which detected its passage in front of its host star and split up starlight into colors to determine what atmospheric composition its atmosphere consisted of. According to data provided, LHS 475 b is likely composed of rocks covered by an atmosphere composed of gases including carbon dioxide. A thick methane-dominated atmosphere could also exist but it would be too early to tell whether its climate could support life based on this first glance alone.
Researchers understand that Mars is several hundred degrees warmer than Earth, yet are uncertain if its atmosphere could support life. JWST may help shed some light on this question in coming years by providing images of transits on Mars.
Future discoveries could well involve similar rocky exoplanets like this one, as red dwarf stars are among the easiest targets for JWST to detect. Being relatively small, cool, and dimmer than our Sun makes them easier for JWST to target as their planets orbit past in front of them.
But it will be extremely challenging to locate another planet orbiting LHS 475 b, as its proximity will increase atmospheric evaporation caused by high-energy radiation from its star. Should that occur, any evidence of life may already have disappeared – making the search worth doing nonetheless as it may provide us with models.