DISCOVERY OF A PLANET THAT COULD POTENTIALLY SUPPORT LIFE A recent discovery has led to the confirmation of the existence of a planet which may be able to support life. This exoplanet, by the name of Proxima b is found orbiting Proxima Centauri, a star closely related to our sun. Proxima b is located within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, which is a red dwarf star located roughly 4.2 light years away from Earth. The discovery of this planet recorded in peer reviewed journal Nature, have confirmed Proxima b to be the closest exoplanet to our solar system. Moreover theories suggest that this ‘earth-sized’ planet orbits at the right distance from its red dwarf, Proxima Centauri, for liquid water to be present. Since this planet fulfilled the necessary criteria to be considered as a likely candidate for a potential habitable world and is at a distance which may be reached by an interstellar spacecraft, exploration of this planet for the search of life may be possible in the coming centuries. Preparations for the exploration of this planet are already underway through a recently proposed initiative named ‘Breakthrough Starshot.’ Laser propelled interstellar probes may be constructed in order to reach the exoplanet. This fleet of probes will travel at 20% the speed of light and would take around 20 years to over 1.3 parsecs from Earth to the reddwarf. Proxima b is around 1.3 times Earth’s mass and orbits the red-dwarf, Proxima Centauri every 11.2 days. The red-dwarf is much smaller and dimmer than the Sun, which is a yellow dwarf. Studies which were initiated in 2000 had already presented the possibility of the existence of a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, via a spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory in Chile which was observing the shifts in starlight created by a gravitational tug resulting from an orbiting planet. Tthat point in time could not clearly distinguish whether the signal had been caused via an orbiting planet, now by the name of Proxima b, or via stellar flares.
The studies carried out in 2000, however did contribute to an added confidence to the finding, the fact that the data was collected over a long time period, measuring both the phase and amplitude suggests that a planet is indeed present. Moreover, the data also further suggests that a second planet may also orbit Proxima between a period of every 100 to 400 days. Further confirmation for the presence of Proxima b was also demonstrated by an independent team of researchers at NASA, via the use of Kepler’s space telescope which in the recent years has shown that rocky planets, such as Proxima b are a common occurrence around such stars, such as Proxima Centauri, which are themselves, the most common type of stars in the Milky way. According to astrophysicist Steinn Sigurdsson, from the Pennsylvania State University in University Park, this discovery has stimulated the research and interest for the study of small planets and dwarf stars, however it has also led researchers to ask one very important question, revisited countless of times; ‘Are we alone in the Universe?’ Sources
http://www.nature.com/news/earth-sized-planet-around-nearby-staris-astronomy-dream-come-true-1.20445 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/24/health/proxima-b-centauri-rockyplanet-habitable-zone-neighbor-star/