Searching for Earth-like planets in our galaxy is a time-consuming task. In fact, of the more than 5,000 other planets discovered by astronomers so far, only a dozen or so are so close. But that number has increased by one thanks to the discovery of Wolf 1069 b, a planet with Earth-like mass that could have liquid water and an atmosphere. of life.
The team that discovered Wolf 1069 was based at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg and worked at the Carral Alto Observatory in Spain. Researchers have discovered a star developed for the Caremenes Project, an initiative to find Earth-like worlds orbiting M dwarfs (also called red dwarfs), the most common type of small, cold star in the Milky Way. A special spectroscope was used. Previous research has shown that water-rich planets likely revolve around red dwarfs, so looking for Earth-sized worlds around these stars could be a big challenge in the galaxy. It’s a logical place to start looking for life elsewhere.
“When we analyzed the data from Wolf 1069, we found a distinct low-amplitude signal that appears to be a planet of approximately the same mass as Earth,” said Diana Kosakowski, who led the observation team. She “orbits the star in 15.6 days at a distance equivalent to 1/15 of the distance between the Earth and the Sun.”
It was also discovered that Wolf 1069 b is a tidal fixed planet. This means that one side is always facing the sun and the other side is always in darkness like the moon.
Because M dwarfs are much cooler than our Sun, planets could orbit much closer to them and still likely retain liquid water and atmospheres. It is much closer to the Sun than Earth, but actually emits 35% less energy from the Sun than Earth. this is Sun.
Without an atmosphere, the newly discovered planet would be cold, reaching -23° C (-9.4° F) even on the Sun side of the planet. However, if the planet retained an atmosphere, its average temperature would be in the range of 13°C (55.4°F), making it warmer for life and capable of sustaining liquid water. The atmosphere also helps protect the planet from electromagnetic radiation from the sun. This makes life more likely to thrive on the surface of the earth again.
Unfortunately, as with the discovery of other Earth-like exoplanets such as the Trappist 1e system and Proxima b, the evidence and composition of the atmosphere and further studies revealing the possible existence of life are currently limited. We have to wait because the equipment cannot serve it. That level of detail.
“This will probably have to wait another 10 years, by which time the Very Large Telescope, currently under construction in Chile, should be operational,” Kossakowski said. It will allow us to take a closer look at what is happening on Wolf 1069 b and other potentially life-sustaining planets in our galaxy.
The discovery of Wolf 1069b is reported in a journal. Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Source: Max Planck Society
