Astronomers believe there may be an Earth-like planet 31 light-years away that could support life – Proxima Centauri b – which orbits within its star’s habitable zone and contains water bodies.
Tidally locked planets like our own moon may provide an even temperature by being locked to their respective stars on one side only, creating an equilibrium temperature distribution across its surface.
Proxima Centauri
At only 4.2 light years from Earth lies Proxima Centauri b, an alien planet which may host life. Orbiting its sun every 11.2 days, Proxima Centauri b orbits Proxima Centauri’s habitable zone where liquid water pools on planet surfaces – making its discovery by an international team led by University of Geneva researchers possible through measurements made using Swiss-built spectrograph ESPRESSO attached to European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope located in Chile. The results were published Astronomy & Astrophysics after measurements made using Swiss-built spectrograph ESPRESSO as part of Europe Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile were published for publication and Astronomy & Astrophysics journal publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics journal for publication based on measurements taken using Swiss-built spectrograph ESPRESSO which used Swiss built Swiss built spectrograph ESPRESSO. These measurements were published through publication of results published through publication of Astronomy & Astrophysics journal publication with results published through Astronomy & Astrophysics journal publication with results published using Swiss built spectrograph ESPRESSO which part of European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope for Chile-based Telescope Very Large Telescope results publication via publication via results published via Astronomy & Astrophysics journal publication via published results taken using European Southern Observatory Very Large Telescope VLT measurements taken with its Very Large Telescope’s Very Large Telescope Very Large Telescope VLT results published radial velocity measurements taken using its Very Large Telescope VLT’s very Large Telescope VLT published via publication with results published within Astronomy & Astrophysics results taken with VLP3 published through VLT Very Large Telescope VLargo Chile’s VLT used at VLT VLFT measurements taken ESPRESSO measurements from Swiss made Telescope VVV VST Telescope’s Very Large Telescope VLT’s Very Large Telescope Vl FTV LLT’s Very Large Telescope VLFT’s Very Large Telescope Very Large Telescope VLT Very Large Telescope’s Very Large Telescope’s Very Large Telescope Viv 6-8 through Chile’s VV T Chile’s VLT in Santiago via Swiss made using VL of Swiss Telescope VLErve T by Vii V L Le Telescope V’s Vs Vla.
Proxima Centauri’s proximity to Earth makes it an attractive target for robotic space exploration, like Breakthrough Starshot project. However, its closeness also poses risks. Proxima Centauri is known to emit bursts of radiation that are powerful enough to wipe out an atmosphere – with some flares 100 times stronger than our sun! Astronomers have already observed such flares.
Due to stellar flares and its orbit around its host star, scientists remain uncertain that Mars can support an atmosphere and livable environment if one exists. Furthermore, without an atmosphere regulating climate or maintaining water-friendly surface pressure it would be impossible to shield against hazardous space weather and house the essential chemicals for life on the planet.
Proxima Centauri b may have lost much of its water early in its formation despite its close orbit, though there may still be hope it can retain some. As its surface remains cool enough to prevent its water evaporizing away completely; and potential pools exist either on its surface or within an equatorial belt in case it demonstrates 3:2 resonance rotation.
If Proxima Centauri b does have an atmosphere, the key question will be its ability to withstand stellar wind pressures that may exceed those experienced on Earth due to solar wind pressures – these winds can produce pressures 2,000 times greater than Earth solar wind pressure and quickly strip away any atmosphere present on this world.
Wolf 1069b
Astronomers announced this month the discovery of Wolf 1069b, an Earth-like planet about 31 light years away that orbits red dwarf stars within their habitable zones and may provide the ideal conditions for life to form on it. Wolf 1069b represents the sixth closest Earth-sized exoplanet discovered that is both rocky and located within its host star’s habitable zone.
Discovering Wolf 1069b was made using a technique known as radial velocity, in which stars are observed through telescopes and any changes in brightness as a planet passes in front of it can be measured to calculate its radius and duration of one orbit. Researchers estimated the surface temperature to be approximately 250 Kelvin (-23 degC). Based on computer simulations, they believe an atmosphere could help raise this figure further and that Wolf 1069b may sustain moderate temperatures with liquid water on its surface.
As it orbits an ultralow mass red dwarf star, which may help it maintain an atmosphere. Red dwarfs tend to be less active than other stars and this means their planets will likely face less frequent bombardments of high energy electromagnetic radiation and particles from interstellar space or their host star itself.
This discovery is remarkable because it may represent the first example of a tidally locked planet that could still potentially support life. Tidal locking occurs when one side of a planet perpetually faces its host star like our Moon does with Earth; one side thus stays bathed in dim red sunlight while the other remains dark and desolate.
Astronomers have only identified 20 or so exoplanets like Wolf 1069b that are both Earth-sized and in their host stars’ habitable zones – meaning there could be hundreds more habitable planets out there somewhere!
TRAPPIST-1f
The TRAPPIST-1 system includes seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a dwarf star. Three are in the habitable zone, which could provide suitable conditions for life to exist on these temperate worlds. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope was used to locate these planets by watching as they dimmed the light of their parent star when passing in front of it.
One of the most striking characteristics of this system is the proximity of its planets. A person standing on one of these planets would be able to clearly see all the others within the system; however, scientists don’t yet know what their atmospheres will resemble – they could be thin like Mars, or thick like Venus; nor can they determine exactly how much hydrogen exists therein.
This planet is most likely tidally locked to its host star, meaning one side of its surface always points towards it. This results in a region called the terminator that constantly separates day from night on this planet; however, its day side might support liquid water due to an intense atmosphere.
Scientists estimate this planet has a radius of around 1.045 REarth and mass of 0.68 MEarth, with an estimated surface temperature of 273 K, which is lower than Earth but still warm enough for liquid water to exist on its surface. Scientists also speculate that it might be classified as a gas giant with thick hydrogen-helium clouds blocking most of the light coming from its star.
These planets share many similarities with our own, making them an excellent place to search for signs of life. The main difference lies in TRAPPIST-1 star being smaller and dimmer than our sun, which impacts their temperatures as well as how quickly their rotational cycles occur – TRAPPIST-1b takes only 1.9 days to complete its orbit while TRAPPIST-1h takes approximately 19 days!
Teegarden c
Astronomers have discovered two Earth-sized planets orbiting red dwarf stars just a short interstellar distance away, named Teegarden b and c, and this discovery places them among a select few potentially habitable exoplanets like Proxima Centauri b, Tau Ceti b and GJ 273 b that may harbor life. But their researchers report in Astronomy & Astrophysics journal that their similarities surpass any of these, scoring high on an “Earth Similarity Index”.
The ESIS ranking system measures how similar exoplanets are to Earth based on size and temperature; both Teegarden b and c boast ESIS scores of 95%, making them among the most Earth-like planets ever discovered. Further study is required, particularly since both are located within less than one light year from each other.
The new planets were detected using the radial velocity method, which involves watching for wobbles in stars as their planets orbit around and tug at it. Astronomers use these wobbles to calculate orbital periods and other parameters relating to these planets; scientists found that Teegarden b orbited for only 4.9 days while 11.4 days for Teegarden c, leaving it too close for escape from star gravity.
Both planets weigh only 1.1 times that of Earth, making them some of the lightest Earth-sized exoplanets ever identified. Both orbit within their star’s habitable zone – an area in which water can exist liquid form – yet may be susceptible to more intense stellar activity due to being so close.
Teegarden’s Star, also known as an old star, is estimated to be roughly eight billion years old – nearly twice as old as our own Sun! As such, any planets orbiting this system should also likely be quite ancient and have had ample time for evolution to occur. Due to its closeness and age, future telescopes hope to investigate it further in hopes of discovering any signs of life therein.