Space
Star Hosts Closest Alien Planet In 'Habitable Zone'
Rosanna Singh
First Posted: Dec 16, 2015 02:09 PM EST
Astronomers have discovered one of the closest, potentially habitable planets outside of the solar system orbiting a star 14 light years away, according to a study at the University of New South Wales.
The planet is one of three that was found orbiting red dwarf star known as "Wolf 1061." The newly found planet is four times the mass of the Earth, according to the researchers.
"It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface, and the middle planet, Wolf 1061c, sits within the 'Goldilocks' zone where it might be possible for liquid water and maybe even life to exist," Dr. Duncan Wright, lead author of the study from UNSW, said in a news release.
The three planets orbit a small cool star about every five, 18 and 67 days. The planets' masses are about 1.4, 4.3 and 5.2 times that of the Earth, individually, according to the researchers. The larger and outer planet is quite rocky and falls outside the outer boundary of the habitable zone. However, the smaller inner planet is too close to the star, so it is not habitable.
"While a few other planets have been found that orbit stars closer to us than Wolf 1061, those planets are not considered to be remotely habitable," Wright said. "These three planets right next door to us join the small but growing ranks of potentially habitable rocky worlds orbiting nearby stars cooler than our sun."
The astronomers made the discovery using the HARPS spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-metre telescope in Chile.
The discovery of the planets orbiting Wolf 1061 could enable researchers to study the environments of such planets. Also, this finding could enable astronomers to determine whether these planets can sustain life.
The findings of this study were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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TagsUniversity of New South Wales, Solar System, space, Exoplanets, Stars, Astronomers, astronomical observations, astronomy, Galaxies, Galaxy, Astronauts, telescope ©2024 ScienceWorldReport.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission. The window to the world of science news.
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First Posted: Dec 16, 2015 02:09 PM EST
Astronomers have discovered one of the closest, potentially habitable planets outside of the solar system orbiting a star 14 light years away, according to a study at the University of New South Wales.
The planet is one of three that was found orbiting red dwarf star known as "Wolf 1061." The newly found planet is four times the mass of the Earth, according to the researchers.
"It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface, and the middle planet, Wolf 1061c, sits within the 'Goldilocks' zone where it might be possible for liquid water and maybe even life to exist," Dr. Duncan Wright, lead author of the study from UNSW, said in a news release.
The three planets orbit a small cool star about every five, 18 and 67 days. The planets' masses are about 1.4, 4.3 and 5.2 times that of the Earth, individually, according to the researchers. The larger and outer planet is quite rocky and falls outside the outer boundary of the habitable zone. However, the smaller inner planet is too close to the star, so it is not habitable.
"While a few other planets have been found that orbit stars closer to us than Wolf 1061, those planets are not considered to be remotely habitable," Wright said. "These three planets right next door to us join the small but growing ranks of potentially habitable rocky worlds orbiting nearby stars cooler than our sun."
The astronomers made the discovery using the HARPS spectrograph on the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-metre telescope in Chile.
The discovery of the planets orbiting Wolf 1061 could enable researchers to study the environments of such planets. Also, this finding could enable astronomers to determine whether these planets can sustain life.
The findings of this study were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Related Articles
Asteroid Will Pass Earth On Christmas Eve
Exoplanets' Missing Water Mystery Solved
For more great science stories and general news, please visit our sister site, Headlines and Global News (HNGN).
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone