Planet found that may support life... a mere 25 trillion miles away
A ROCKY planet that may harbour life has been discovered in a solar system four light years from Earth.
Proxima b, which is slightly larger than Earth, orbits Proxima Centauri, our closest star. At 25 trillion miles it is a long way off but scientists believe Proxima b is close enough to be reached by future generations of super-fast spacecraft.
Robot probes could soon be sent to Proxima b to look for life on its surface, where temperatures in the “habitable zone” allow water to exist.
Further into the future it could be colonised by space travellers if conditions are survivable. It is very different. A year on it lasts just 11 days.
Dr Guillem Anglada-Escude from London’s Queen Mary University, who led an international team of astronomers, said: “Succeeding in the search for the nearest terrestrial planet beyond the solar system has been an experience of a lifetime.
“We hope these findings inspire future generations to keep looking beyond the stars. The search for life on Proxima b comes next.”
Proxima Centauri is a dim “red dwarf” in the constellation of Centaurus which from Earth appears as the third brightest star in the night sky.
Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory in Chile’s Atacama desert used a “planet searcher” to measure a tiny “wobble” in Proxima Centauri’s position as it interacted with Proxima b’s gravity.
Data suggested the presence of a planet 1.3 times larger than Earth orbiting at a distance of 4.5 million miles and taking 11.2 days to complete its journey around the star.
Report co-author Dr Mikko Tuomi said: “The findings show the planet has a rocky surface and is only a fraction more massive than Earth.”
Astronomers found hints of a planet in 2000 but it took till now before they could reveal the discovery, reported in the journal Nature, to the world.