potentially habitable exoplanet is located 16 light-years away in the star
system Gliese 832 leading many to suggest we’ve got a possible “Earth 2.0” on
our galactic doorstep.
have confirmed they’ve discovered a small rocky exoplanet near our Sun’s
nearest cosmic neighbor—Proxima Centauri—raising hopes of not only finding
alien life in the universe but a planet that could be colonized in the future.
scientists discovered—or better said confirmed the Trappist-1 system—everyone
was so excited, as it reignited our hopes of discovering planets in the
universe that could sustain life as we know it.
since the planetary system was discovered, numerous follow-up studies have cast
doubt whether or not the star system was home to Earth-like planets capable of
sustaining life as we know it. Trappist-1, located 39 light-years away has
SEVEN planets that according to experts fall into the so-called “Habitable
Zone.” However, numerous other factors—like the fact that they orbit a Red
Dwarf—make them less likely to sustain life as we know it than initially
thought.
mostly because an XMM-Newton X-ray study discovered that the
Star—Trappist—emits X-rays at a level similar to our own much bigger Sun, and
intense ultraviolet radiation at a level 50-fold more powerful than previously
thought by scientists, which led experts to suggest the planets were less
likely habitable as high levels of XUV make water retention on TRAPPIST-1d less
likely than predicted previously.
aren’t here to write about Trappist one, are we?
we’ve got another reason why we should be excited, and that reason is an
Earth-like alien world in the GJ 832 System which according to some authors
could be the Earth 2.0 we’ve been searching all along.
presented in The Astrophysical Journal notes how the planet—located “only” 16
light-years away in the star system Gliese 832 appears to be stable and
Earth-like.
According to
the lead author of the study, Suman Satyal, UTA physics researcher “According
to our calculations, this hypothetical alien world would probably have a mass
between 1 to 15 Earths masses.” “This is an
extraordinary breakthrough proving the possible existence of a potential new
planet revolving a star close to our own,” UTA Physics Chair Alexander Weiss said
in the press release. “The fact
that Dr. Satyal was able to prove that the planet could maintain a stable orbit
in the habitable zone of a red dwarf for more than 1 billion years is extremely
impressive and demonstrates the world-class capabilities of our department’s
astrophysics group.” Satyal
further notes how, “The existence of this possible planet is supported by the
long-term orbital stability of the system, orbital dynamics, and the synthetic
radial velocity signal analysis… At the same time, a significantly large number
of radial velocity observations, transit method studies, as well as direct
imaging are still needed to confirm the presence of possible new planets in the
Gliese 832 system.”
does all of this imply? It means that it’s really hard to find these worlds.
note how the greatest question mark when speaking about the habitability of the
exoplanet is whether or not it has water.
“That
entirely depends on the formation, on the history of the planet,” said
astronomer Ansgar Reiners, with the University of Gottingen in Germany. “You can
come up with formation scenarios that end up with an Earth-like atmosphere,
that end up with a Venus-like atmosphere, that end up with no atmosphere at
all,” he added.
it’s very exciting news. While experts still need to dig further, all
reductions are strongly supported by scientific evidence which the research
group has come up with.
the planet is a “Second” Earth, what good is it to us?
though we still can’t travel 16-light-years in our lifetime, technologies are
drastically improving and being developed by numerous companies.
examples are SpaceX and the Breakthrough Initiatives which are helping us peer
into a previously uncharted cosmic territory.
account that Mars—the planet mankind wants to conquer next—is located around
12.5 light minutes from Earth, so managing to travel 16 light years should be
something we’ll achieve in the near future.
words, this exoplanet could prove to be one of our best shots to explore and
study an exoplanet that according to many scientists fits many habitable
criteria.
Futurism)
