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As the conquest of Mars looms, the study of neighboring solar systems continues. Located in the constellation of Hydra, 31 light-years from our solar system, this promising planet could well shelter life and eventually, welcome us one day, if unfortunately humanity should flee its world of origin.
Other potentially habitable planets have already been discovered. This planet is part of a solar system composed of a red dwarf, a small star in the cooling phase, and two other planets. The planet farthest from the star, baptized GJ 257d, particularly interested researchers, who believe that it could be livable.
A team of researchers has discovered a new exoplanet located 31 light-years away using the NASA satellite called "TESS", a device specialized in this type of discovery.
Given its distance from its star, researchers estimate that temperatures on the planet GJ 257d are around -53 degrees.
Among the criteria used to measure the habitability of a planet are rocky soil, a size similar to the Earth and a distance neither too small nor too great compared to its star, so that the temperature is conducive to the presence of liquid water, a key ingredient to enable the development of life. "It seems a bit cold at first glance." GJ 257d could be from one to two times the size of the Earth according to expert badessments. Proxima b and GJ 257 d were discovered by the radial velocity method, which consists in locating the oscillation caused on the star by the gravity exerted by a planet in orbit.
This discovery is very interesting but requires confirmation. It will then be possible to confirm its size, density and composition. For that, it is necessary that the planet pbades directly between its star and its observer, which is very rare. For Proxima b, it was impossible. The international team of astronomers will try, in the coming months, to observe GJ 257d in " transit "to confirm whether life could develop there or not. Rafael Luque recalls that the probability for the planet to pbad between its star and be visible from the Earth at that time "is quite small".
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