Scientists may be one step closer to discovering whether we are alone in the universe. Astronomers recently discovered several nearby exoplanets that they say could “potentially harbor life,” orbiting the brightest red dwarf star in the sky.
According to a study published Thursday in the journal Science, a team of planet-hunting astronomers found two super-Earths orbiting the red dwarf star Gliese 887. The host star is just 11 light-years from Earth, making us practically neighbors. .
The team monitored the system using the Planet Searcher high-precision radial velocity spectrograph (HARPS) at the European Southern Observatory in Chile and analyzed nearly two decades of archival data on the star. Using a technique called “Doppler wobble,” astronomers discovered that the planets have orbits of only 9.3 and 21.8 days, faster even than Mercury.
Super-Earths are planets with masses higher than Earth but lower than those of ice giants like Uranus and Neptune. Exoplanets, or planets located outside of our solar system, have been named Gliese 887b and Gliese 887c.
Planets are located close to their stars. habitable area – an area where liquid water could exist. However, scientists said the temperature of the last planet is about 70 degrees Celsius, or 158 degrees Fahrenheit.
Mark Garlick
They also believe that planets could be rocky, like Earth and Mars.
not like others red dwarfsThis star has very few star points and is much less active, which means that newly discovered planets have a better chance of retaining their atmosphere, making life conditions more plausible. The most active stars are prone to dangerous flashes, which could easily destroy a planet’s atmosphere.
“It is the best star close to the sun to understand if its planets have atmospheres and if they have life,” lead author Dr. Sandra Jeffers told Nature magazine. “GJ 887 is exciting because the center star is so quiet. That is the exceptional part.”
Jeffers said astronomers have been looking for signs on this star for 20 years.
According to the study, the researchers also found evidence of a possible third planet farthest from the host star. It has an orbit of about 50 days and may have a more suitable surface temperature for liquid water, and therefore life.
The system is now a primary objective for James Webb Space Telescope, the successor to the Hubble telescope, to be launched next year.
“These planets will provide the best possibilities for more detailed study, including searching for life outside our Solar System,” Jeffers said in a press release.
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