Scientists said on Thursday that a planet discovered near our own solar system could help with the search for life elsewhere in the universe.
The ‘super-Earth’ exoplanet, with a surface temperature slightly cooler than Venus, offers an excellent opportunity to study the atmosphere of a rocky earthy alien world, as scientists are looking for clues that could one day lead to the discovery of extraterrestrial life.
How can the planet provide clues to extraterrestrial life?
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute of Astronomy in Germany have said that the planet – Gliese 486 b – is not itself a promising candidate as a refuge for life, as it is hot and dry, with possible rivers of lava flowing flows over the surface.
But its proximity to Earth and its physical properties make it ideal for studying its atmosphere through the next generation of space-bearing and ground-based telescopes. NASA will launch the James Webb Space Telescope later this year.
Scientists can extract data to decipher the atmosphere of other exoplanets – planets outside our solar system – including the lives that are possible.
“The exoplanet must have the right physical and orbital configuration to be suitable for atmospheric exploration,” said planetary scientist Trifon Trifonov, lead author of the research published in the journal Science.
What is a ‘Super-Earth’?
A ‘super-Earth’ is an exoplanet with a mass larger than our planet, but significantly smaller than the ice-giant Uranus and Neptune of our solar system.
The mass of Gliese 486 b is 2.8 times the mass of Earth and is located in our celestial environment, about 26.3 light-years away, making it one of the closest exoplanets.
“Gliese 486 b cannot be habitable, at least not as we know it here on earth,” Trifonov said. “The planet has only a gentle atmosphere, if any.”
‘Rosetta Stone of exoplanetology’
Nevertheless, astrophysicist and co-author of the study, Jose Caballero, was very excited: “We say that Gliese 486 b will immediately become the Rosetta Stone of exoplanetology – at least for terrestrial planets,” he said, referring to the ancient stone slab that experts helped decipher Egyptian hieroglyphs.
More than 4,300 exoplanets have been discovered by scientists. Some were large gas planets, similar to Jupiter, while others were smaller, rocky earth-like worlds, the kind considered candidates for life to flourish.
jsi / rt (AFP, Reuters)