The Case of the New Planet

TheCaseoftheNewPlanet

Author:AnanyaDasgupta

Illustrator:MandarMhaskar

Everyevening,Anvipeersthroughher telescope.Onclearnights,shecanspot farawaystarsandplanets. Butsheismostcuriousaboutaliensand doesn’ttireoflookingforthem.

Onenight,she seesaverybright spotinthesky.

Thespotgets biggerandbigger.

Itcomescloserandcloser.

AnditlandsinAnvi’sbackyard. It’saspaceship!

Tworedblobspeepoutofthe spaceship.Eachoftheblobshas threeeyes,twonosesandnohair. Anvirubshereyesindisbelief!Aretheyaliens?

TheblobsstareandstareatAnviandthenstretchouttheirhands.

Anviiscurious.Shewalksintothespaceship,asifinadream.

Thedoorscloseassoonasshestepsin andthespaceshiptakeso.

Anvipeepsoutofthe window.Shecan’tseeher houseanymore.Instead, therearehuge,scarypurple mountainsoutside.

Anvirushestoopenthedoor.

Shestepsoutsideandwhooooosh... Sheslipsandfalls. Sheshivers.

Thegroundiscoveredwithice.

Therearethousandsofredblobsmarchingup anddown.“WhereamI?”sheaskstheblobs. Theyshrugandlookuptothesky.

Anvilooksup.Sheseesabigredsun andtwosmallerbrightdotsinthesky.

“Itlooksliketherearethreesuns!” sheexclaims. Again,theblobsdon’trespond.

Oncemore,Anviaskshernew blobfriends,“WhereamI?” Thistimetheyshaketheirheads.

“Couldthisbethemoonof Saturn?”shewonders.“But no,whereareSaturn’srings?”

“CouldthisbeJupiter?No,itis madeofgas.Iwouldn’tbeable tostandonit,”shethinks.

Thenextdayinschool,AnvirunstoherbestfriendRukaiyya.

“Imetsomealienslastnight!”shesays.

“Theywereredblobs.Iwentwiththemtotheirplanetinaspaceship. Whichplanetdoyouthinktheywerefrom?”

“Oooo,youluckything!Ireadabookwhichsaidtherearebillionsofplanets outsideourSolarSystemcalledexoplanets.TheoneclosesttoEarthis ProximaCentaurib.Doyouthinktheblobscamefromthere?”asksRukkaiya. “Yes.Maybetheydid.Iwouldlovetovisitagain,”saysAnvi.

Meanwhile,onexoplanetProximaCentaurib: Tworedblobsaresittingonatower.

“Wewentintospaceyesterday,”onesays. “Ithinkwereachedanotherplanet.Astrange-looking creaturewasstaringatus.Shefollowedusinto thespaceship.”

“Iheardthey’vediscoveredanewplanet,and nameditEarth.Doyouthinkyouwentthere?”

PlanetProximaCentaurib

ProximaCentauribwasdiscoveredin2016.Itrevolvesaroundthe starProximaCentauri.Eventhoughitistheclosestplanettoour SolarSystem,itisstill4.2lightyearsor40trillionkilometresaway fromEarth.LightfromProximaCentauriwouldtakeaboutfour yearstoreachus.

DidAnvireallygoto planetProximaCentaurib?

EvenifAnvihadtravelledbythefastest spaceshiptoday,itwouldhavetaken morethan70,000yearstoreach ProximaCentaurib.

So,itisunlikelythatAnvireached

ProximaCentaurib—unlesstheblobs hadaspaceshipthatgoesfasterthan light!(Scientiststhinkitisimpossible totravelfasterthanlight.)

Whatwerethethreedotsthat Anvisawinthesky?

ProximaCentauribrevolvesaroundthestar

ProximaCentauri,asmallreddwarfstar.Thisstar isredder,cooleranddoesn’tshineasbrightly astheSun.Therearetwootherstarsnearit—

AlphaCentauriAandB.

IfAnvihadreachedProximaCentaurib, shewouldhaveseenProximaCentauri

asabigredball,andtheothertwo furtherstarsasbrightwhitedots.

Alpha CentauriB

Telescopesaremagicalinstrumentsthatcanshowusthewondersof theuniverse.TheJamesWebbSpaceTelescopewaslaunchedintospace bythescientistsattheNationalAeronauticsandSpaceAdministration (NASA)inDecember2021.

Itbegancapturingstunningimagesoflightemittedbysomeoftherst galaxiesborninouruniverse.Thelightfromthestarsinthesegalaxies wasemittedover13billionyearsago—ouruniversewasstillveryyoung then.Imagine,thelighttravelledabout120000000000000000000000km beforereachingtheJamesWebbTelescope.NASAsharedtheimages withusEarthlingsinJuly2022.

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Coverpage:Girlpointingupataskylledwithplanets,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page 2:Girllookingattheskythroughatelescope,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page3:Three spotsofdierentsizescomingcloser,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page4:Spaceship landinginAnvi'sbackyard,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page5:Anvilookingsurprisedto seethespaceship,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page6:Anviwalkingtowardsthe spaceshipwiththeblobs,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page7:Spaceshipyingintothe sky,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page8:Girlpeepingoutofaspaceshipwindow,by MandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page9:Abumpyspaceshiplanding,byMandarMhaskar© PrathamBooks,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page10:Girlfallenoniceandaliensstaringather,byMandarMhaskar©Pratham Books,2022.Somerightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.Page11:Girllookingatbrightredstar,byMandarMhaskar©PrathamBooks,2022.Some rightsreserved.ReleasedunderCCBY4.0license.

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TheCaseoftheNew Planet

(English)

Anviisfascinatedbythespaceandspendshereveningsgluedto hernewtelescope.Shewantstondoutifaliensexist.Onenight, whenshemeetsaliensonadierentplanet,shelearnsthereare planetsbeyondourSolarSystemandtheMilkyWay.Readtond outmoreabouttheseexoplanets.

ThisisaLevel3bookforchildrenwhoarereadytoreadontheirown.

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