A new planet that could support life has been discovered near the solar system
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Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet near our solar system, Gliese 251c, orbiting a red dwarf star 18 light-years from Earth. The planet is a “super-Earth” and may have conditions suitable for liquid water and life.
This is reported by the Astronomical Journal .
The study found that the star Gliese 251 is an early red dwarf that has at least two planets: Gliese 251b, known since 2020, and the new Gliese 251c. The latter has a mass of about 3.8 Earth masses and completes a complete orbit around the star in 53.6 days.
Astronomers emphasize that the planet is located in the so-called “habitable zone” – an area where the temperature allows liquid water to exist on the surface.
“The distance from the star is ideal for maintaining the conditions necessary for life, if the planet has the right atmosphere,” explained study co-author Suvrat Mahadevan of Pennsylvania State University.
The planet was discovered using the Habitable-Zone Planet Finder instrument on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory in Texas. The signal from Gliese 251c was also confirmed using the NEID spectrometer at Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona.
“What makes this discovery particularly valuable is the proximity of the star system. It is located only 18 light-years away, which is almost next door on a cosmic scale,” said Paul Robertson, an astronomer at the University of California, Irvine.
Scientists say the next generation of telescopes will be able to take direct images of Gliese 251c and study its atmosphere. In particular, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is being built in Chile, could confirm the presence of water or other signs of life.
“The ELT will be the only telescope with sufficient resolution to directly observe such exoplanets,” said Design West Technologies analyst Corey Bird.
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