To exclude this possibility, the team also monitored closely the changing brightness of the star. Cool or ‘red dwarf’ stars such as Proxima Centauri are slightly active and can vary in ways that could mimic the presence of a planet. The astronomers looked for a tiny ‘wobble’ of the star that would be caused by the gravitational pull of a possible orbiting planet. "If further research concludes that the conditions of atmosphere are suitable to support life, this is arguably one of the most important scientific discoveries we will ever make." His Hertfordshire team worked as part of a European Southern Observatory (ESO) project, The Pale Red Dot, which co-ordinated the efforts of more than 30 scientists from eight different countries across three continents. This included a series of major observing campaigns, led by Dr Guillem Anglada-Escudé. The momentous discovery of Proxima b was the culmination of many years of observation by an international team of scientists, with key involvement of astronomers from the University’s Centre for Astrophysical Research. Hidden by the bright glare of the stars they orbit, exoplanets are hard to see directly with telescopes. Planets that orbit around stars outside our Solar System are known as ‘exoplanets’. This exciting possibility, as well as its closeness to us – just four light years away – makes Proxima b a prime target should mankind ever develop the technologies to travel to a planet outside our Solar System. The planet is in Proxima Centauri’s ‘habitable zone’, which means it is at a distance from the star which allows temperatures mild enough for liquid water and is therefore potentially capable of supporting life. Proxima b is a rocky, roughly Earth-sized, planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, part of a trio of stars in our neighbouring solar system of Alpha Centauri, and the closest star to our Sun. In total TESS is expected to find about 12,519 exoplanets.“The discovery of Proxima b is another significant step forward for our understanding and knowledge of space and testament to the hard work and scientific endeavour of UK institutions who are making discoveries that could change lives and inspire millions around the world.” So far TESS has discovered about 5,000 planets and planet candidates. Robert Wells from the University of Bern and the NCCR PlanetS and co-author of the study. “Our neighbor planet Venus, which is, so to speak, a CO2 rich near 500☌ pressure cooker, is also near this so-called habitable zone around the Sun,” said Dr. However, the habitable zone around a star where liquid water could theoretically exist-between the too distant “snow line” and the the too-close “boil zone”-doesn’t guarantee anything. She aded that the discovery of LP 890-9c is a unique opportunity to learn more about the exact position of the inner boundary of a star’s habitable zone. “LP 890-9c is located close to the inner boundary of the habitable zone and could therefore have an atmosphere that is particularly rich in water vapour, which would then boost its atmospheric signals," said Delrez. The study authors think this exoplanet could be ripe for a JWST atmosphere detection. This explains why LP 890-9c, despite being much closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun, could still have conditions that are suitable for life.”īefore this “super-Earth” is declared even possibly Earth-like a lot more observations need to be made, specifically by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which could help researchers examine its atmosphere-if it has one. “This is because the star LP 890-9 is about 6.5 times smaller than the Sun and has a surface temperature half that of our star. Pozuelos, researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia and one of the main co-authors of the paper. “Although this planet orbits very close to its star, at a distance about 10 times shorter than that of Mercury around our Sun, the amount of stellar irradiation it receives is still low, and could allow the presence of liquid water on the planet's surface, provided it has a sufficient atmosphere,” said Francisco J.
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