The Proxima b is not only the closest terrestrial planet discovered but in all likeliness is the closest planet outside our solar system, that could be possibly found. It’s an Earth-like planet that we discovered around the solar system’s nearest star in our galaxy.
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While the finding is huge, scientists know very little about the planet.
“An absolutely wonderful discovery”, says Victoria Meadows of the University of Washington.
“It is the closest possible exoplanet to us and may be the closest to support life outside the Solar System”.
“Proxima b” is likely tidally locked, meaning one side of the planet constantly faces the star, while the other side is always dark.
Researchers confirmed on Wednesday the existence of an Earth-like and potentially inhabited planet, called Proxima b.
That star, though invisible to the naked eye, is only 4.2 light-years from Earth, making it our nearest stellar neighbor.
That data seems to show what scientists have claimed about the new planet: that it is a warm planet, of roughly the same size as the Earth, that makes its way around the star every 11.2 days. “So it is not a gas ball or something”. Excitingly, the planet is the right distance from the star to fulfill the conditions necessary for liquid water to exist on its surface-essential for a planet to support life. But because that star is much dimmer, it is still within the habitable zone where there could be water on the planet – and, as a outcome, life.
“Many exoplanets have been found and many more will be found, but searching for the closest potential Earth-analogue and succeeding has been the experience of a lifetime for all of us”, Anglada-Escude said.
The High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) was able to measure the tiny “wobble” in the star’s position caused by its interaction with the planet’s gravity. At conventional speeds, it would take 80 thousand years to get there.
However, there hasn’t been any detection of an atmosphere on Proxima b or of what gases that atmosphere might consist. Proxima B was detected after 16 years of analyzing telescopic recordings of the Proxima Centauri, Proxima b’s mother star. That quiver translates into barely detectable changes in the light streaming from the star.
“What’s incredible is how close it is”, says Jeff Coughlin, a SETI astronomer working with NASA’s Kepler planet-hunting mission, who was not involved in the discovery.
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However, the Proxima planet could see the birth of a new stage in planetary research.
