In a discovery that has been years in the making, researchers have confirmed the existence of a rocky planet named Proxima b orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun, according to a new study.
Advertisement
“The good news is that it is so close”, study author Ansgar Reiners said.
Shifts in the star’s light spectrum showed that at times the star was approaching Earth at around human walking pace – about 3mph – and at other times receding at the same speed.
Co-author Dr John Barnes, from the Open University, said: “Once we had established that the wobble wasn’t caused by star spots, we knew that that there must be a planet orbiting within a zone where water could exist, which is really exciting”. It orbits a mere 4.5 million miles from Proxima Centauri, whereas Earth is 93 million miles from the sun.
In addition to data gathered by the Pale Red Dot campaign, the research incorporates contributions from scientists who have been observing Proxima Centauri for years.
So wouldn’t it be wonderful if we discovered a planet just like the Earth – in our own neighbourhood?
There has recently been interest in sending a probe to the nearest star and its new planet found, National Geographic reports. Prior to the discovery, the closest known Earth-like planet was Wolf 1061c, which is 14 light years away, while “Proxima B’ is estimated to be around 4 light years away”. And as of today, we may have found our best chance yet: Proxima b is very much like Earth, and it happens to be the closest planet outside of our solar system.
Using the Doppler effect, or watching for an increase or decrease in the frequency of the star’s light spectrum based on its velocity, the researchers saw the star approach Earth at 3 miles per hour and recede at the same pace, repeating a pattern with a period of 11.2 days.
The next step may be for a powerful Earth or space telescope to get an actual image of the planet, Butler said.
So what are the possibilities for life on Proxima b? How did they form? The distance, however, turns out to be flawless – its star is Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf much weaker than our Sun (it’s hard to spot, in fact, because it sits near the much brighter pair of stars known as Alpha Centauri AB).
This would indicate whether the plant was rich with water in its early days or started out dry, as well as whether there was any high-energy radiation that could have blasted away an atmosphere during formation of the planet.
People have proposed the idea of Earth-like planets as far back as 400 BC. Depending on its formation, perhaps it could be like Venus.
There is also the small matter of distance. But, as they point out, none of those has been proved definitive, either. “You’re not going to see aliens waving at us”. It would look for exoplanets by imaging or other techniques that could find more of them around these three stars. A year on the planet would be only 11 days, as the closeness means it only takes that amount of time to circle Proxima Centauri. This is on the list of Breakthrough initiatives, an effort whose board includes Stephen Hawking and Mark Zuckerberg.
“Succeeding in the search for the nearest terrestrial planet beyond our Solar System has been an experience of a lifetime, and has drawn on the dedication and passion of a number of global researchers”. These details will probably be determined by future observations.
Advertisement
“If further research concludes that the conditions of its atmosphere are suitable to support life, this is arguably one of the most important scientific discoveries we will ever make”. “But the first one we’ll send it to will be this”.
