05/25/2024 – 19:00
Is there life outside planet Earth? The answer to this question, asked by scientists thousands of years ago, may be closer after scientists discovered a planet with conditions similar to ours.
According to a study published this week in the scientific journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societythe star, named Gliese 12 b, has a temperature and size close to those of Earth.
The planet orbits a cool M dwarf star and is in the closest transit ever found for this type of system, about 40 light-years from Earth. Because it is outside the solar system, it is defined as an exoplanet.
According to the study description, this is one of the lowest levels of stellar activity known for M dwarfs, which may explain why the planet is temperate.
The next step in research should include using the James Webb Space Telescope to analyze Gliese 12b’s atmosphere. Scientists must look mainly for signs of water.
Also according to the Gliese 12b discovery article, studies on planets orbiting M dwarf stars began around 2010.
“A key uncertainty in our current understanding of these planets is whether they can retain their atmospheres, a prerequisite for their habitability,” says the text.
“The recently launched JWST (James Webb Space Telescope) is capable of detecting atmospheric features of such planets with transmission and emission spectroscopy, if they exist.”
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