5 Next b fascinating points, the newly discovered “neighbor” planet similar to Earth – BBC World

Image copyright ESO / M. Kornmesser

Image caption A rocky planet and very close to its star, but with a favorable climate, it is how astronomers believe it is the atmosphere of Next b.

This time all the signs say it’s true: there is a planet outside our solar system that has the necessary conditions for life, or similar as possible as we know it.

This is the planet called Next b that orbits the star Proxima Centauri.

Unlike the Alpha Centauri Bb, discovered in 2012 as similar to Earth but planet whose existence was challenged in 2015, the “signs of life” of this planet are more accurate.

scientists Southern Space Observatory (ESO, its acronym in English) just shared this Wednesday some keys to this earthly cousin not so far from our neighborhood.

1. Exists and is the closest

Image copyright Y. Beletsky (LCO) / ESO / ESA / NASA / M. Zamani

Image caption The spectrograph HARPS located in Chile, he helped scientists to prove the existence of the planet in the system, Proxima Centauri.

Next b is about 4 light years from the Solar System , which is one of the relatively closest distance to Earth to a planet similar to our ever detected.

“the first signs of a possible planet were in 2013, but the detection was not convincing,” says Guillem Anglada-Escudé, Catalan scientist who led the research.

to confirm its existence, scientists reviewed for 60 days signals spectrograph HARPS, located in Chile, in conjunction with other telescopes around the world.

2. suitable temperature

Image copyright ESO / M. Kornmesser

Image caption Next b is more close to its star than Mercury is from the Sun, but since Proxima Centauri has a lower radiation, recreates the Earth’s temperature.

This new planet is 7 million kilometers from its star, Proxima Centauri.

That means it’s 5% of the distance from Earth to the Sun (149.6 million kilometers), how can it be living then?

“Your star is much weaker the sun. As a result, Next b is within the habitable zone around the star and has an estimated surface temperature would allow the presence of liquid water, “explains ESO.

the calculations indicate that you could have a temperature of about 4 C , which creates conditions to have water, the key factor of terrestrial life.

3. Their conditions

Image copyright ESO / M. Kornmesser

Image caption Astronomers evaluate posbilidad that only one side of Proxima b is exposed to light, while another is dark.

The mass of this planet is 1.3 times Earth and until now scientists believe it may have a rocky landscape , habitable for humans.

it is too early to reach conclusions, but the scientific debate focuses on whether its atmosphere is evaporating slowly, as with similar planets and what kind of chemical possesses.

The surface might be getting “flares of X-ray and ultraviolet radiation” your star would be much stronger than we have on Earth, a factor for life as we know it.

Image copyright ESO / M. Zamani

Image caption The Catalan scientist Guillem Anglada -Escudé astronomical led the investigation that led to confirm the existence and conditions Next b.

4. Two-sided

It is still early to confirm, but astronomers considered “very likely” that the force of gravity influences the planet make one side is exposed to light and other remains dark.

the patterns that astronomers have detected lead them to conclude that this planet Proxima Centauri orbits every 11.2 days land.

5. Near and far

Image copyright ESO / Pale Red Dot

Image caption Proxima Centauri, Alpha Centauri a and Alpha Centauri B are in the range of 4 to 6 light years from the solar system.

The idea of ​​an Earth-like planet in a nearby neighborhood sounds good, but astronomical distances are considerable.

Proxima Centauri is 40 trillion kilometers , a distance that would require thousands of years to reach with the technology we have.

mission Juno, who traveled 3,000 million kilometers to reach Jupiter in July, took five years to reach its target in a line calculated to intercept the planet.

“of course, go there right now is science fiction, but people are thinking about it and is no longer just an academic exercise to imagine that we could send a probe there one day, “said Anglada Escudé.