ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

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ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

Post by bystander » Wed Aug 24, 2016 6:09 pm

Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star
European Southern Observatory | Pale Red Dot | 2016 Aug 24

Pale Red Dot campaign reveals Earth-mass world in orbit around Proxima Centauri

Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting the closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. The long-sought world, designated Proxima b, orbits its cool red parent star every 11 days and has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface. This rocky world is a little more massive than the Earth and is the closest exoplanet to us — and it may also be the closest possible abode for life outside the Solar System. ...

Just over four light-years from the Solar System lies a red dwarf star that has been named Proxima Centauri as it is the closest star to Earth apart from the Sun. This cool star in the constellation of Centaurus is too faint to be seen with the unaided eye and lies near to the much brighter pair of stars known as Alpha Centauri AB.

During the first half of 2016 Proxima Centauri was regularly observed with the HARPS spectrograph on the ESO 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla in Chile and simultaneously monitored by other telescopes around the world [1]. This was the Pale Red Dot campaign, in which a team of astronomers led by Guillem Anglada-Escudé, from Queen Mary University of London, was looking for the tiny back and forth wobble of the star that would be caused by the gravitational pull of a possible orbiting planet [2]. ...

The Pale Red Dot data, when combined with earlier observations made at ESO observatories and elsewhere, revealed the clear signal of a truly exciting result. At times Proxima Centauri is approaching Earth at about 5 kilometres per hour — normal human walking pace — and at times receding at the same speed. This regular pattern of changing radial velocities repeats with a period of 11.2 days. Careful analysis of the resulting tiny Doppler shifts showed that they indicated the presence of a planet with a mass at least 1.3 times that of the Earth, orbiting about 7 million kilometres from Proxima Centauri — only 5% of the Earth-Sun distance [3]. ...

ESO Discovers Earth-Size Planet in Habitable Zone of Nearest Star
NASA | JPL-Caltech | Exoplanet Exploration | 2016 Aug 24

Rocky Planet Found in Habitable Zone of Proxima Centauri
Carnegie Institution for Science | 2016 Aug 24

New Earth-like Planet Found Around Star Nearest the Sun
Queen Mary University, London | 2016 Aug 24

A Terrestrial Planet Candidate in a Temperate Orbit Around Proxima Centauri - Guillem Anglada-Escudé et al
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The Habitability of Proxima Centauri b
Institut de Ciències de l'Espai | 2016 Aug 24

The Habitability of Proxima Centauri b I. Irradiation, Rotation and Volatile Inventory From Formation to the Present - Ignasi Ribas et al The Habitability of Proxima Centauri b II. Possible Climates and Observability - Martin Turbet et al
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Re: ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

Post by Ann » Wed Aug 24, 2016 11:19 pm

The illustration shows a planet with an atmosphere.

A lot of effort should be put into finding out if Proxima b really does have an atmosphere, and if so, what can be learned about its composition.

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Re: ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

Post by Doum » Fri Aug 26, 2016 2:26 pm

If it has an atmosphere, it might be possible to detect lightning.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/alien-r ... ing-storm/


If alpha centaury A and B or proxima centaury have planets with atmosphere, lightning might be detectable since they are only 4.3 light years away. Anyone know if an attempt have been made before. If not, it might be worthed to try.

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Re: ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

Post by bystander » Mon Aug 29, 2016 1:27 pm

Could Proxima Centauri b Really Be Habitable?
University of Washington | 2016 Aug 29

Opportunities and Obstacles for Life on Proxima b
Pale Red Dot | 2016 Aug 28

The Habitability of Proxima Centauri b I: Evolutionary Scenarios - Rory Barnes et al
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Re: ESO: Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star

Post by Fred the Cat » Mon Aug 29, 2016 4:39 pm

Very interesting bystander but what makes a "star quake?"
Freddy's Felicity "Only ascertain as a cat box survivor"

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