Breez through the Barnard Space Environment & # 39; s Star B

The exoplanet closest to us, if we only include unique stars like the Sun, is the planet around the Barnard star, the Barnard star ("BSb" ). (The Promixa Centauri-b planet is closer, but Proxima Cen is part of a three-star system with Alpha and Beta Centauri and the understanding of the evolutionary development of the planet is more complicated.) BSb revolves around 39 a distance similar to that of Mercury. around the Sun, but Barnard's star is a very cool M-dwarf star and, although the planet is close to the star, it probably lies near the snow line – the distance where stellar irradiation is sufficiently weak to allow volatile elements to condense on the surface of the planet. This makes BSb a particularly interesting planet and perhaps a keystone for future progress, including the formation of the planet and atmospheric evolution.

Extreme stellar activity and winds, especially in dwarf stars, play an important role in the development of the planet and its atmosphere. These types of activity are related to the magnetic activity of a star, but unfortunately the models are still unable to predict the evolution of the initial conditions of the atmosphere in environments intense radiation. Nevertheless, progress has been made using simple models. In the case of Proxima Centauri b, scientists have discovered that it was probably subjected to wind pressures ten thousand times greater than those encountered on the Earth. Could Stellar Wind Effects Affect the Atmosphere of Barnard & # 39; s Star b?

The CfA astronomers, Julian Alvarado-Gomez, Cecilia Garraffo, Jeremy Drake, Sofia Moschou and their colleagues, conclude otherwise. Scientists note that BSb is much farther from its star than Promixa Cen b, well outside the area of ​​the star's crown. In addition, an analysis of the rotation of Barnard Star and other properties implies that it is much older, between about seven and ten billion years, and that any magnetic field process should be significantly reduced. Astronomers conclude that, although the planet Barnard's Star b may have a relatively mild spatial climate (comparable, nevertheless, to poor weather conditions for the Earth's space), its disturbances were probably significant in the early years . Today, however, BSb could maintain an atmosphere that could be studied.