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Scientists believe that a new "super-terrestrial" planet – six times larger than ours – is probably in orbit around the star closest to our sun – but it would be too cold for the life exists
- Astronomers say that they may have detected a second planet around Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system
- The existence of the planet remains unconfirmed, for the moment
- Nicknamed Proxima c, it would be a super-Earth
- Its 1900-day orbit would also make it an icy and inhospitable place.
- The planet is about 1.5 times the distance from Proxima Centauri as the Earth is from the sun
Scientists think they have discovered a new planet around the star closest to our sun.
It is possible that two planets revolve around a small red dwarf called Proxima Centauri located about 4.24 light-years away.
"We are pleased to show you, for the first time, what we call Proxima c, a new candidate planet around Proxima," Mario Damasso of the Turin Observatory said at the Breakthrough conference on Friday. Disc.
The artist 's print shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our solar system. However, it is now thought that a second planet, Proxima c is also in orbit around Proxima Centauri
Scientists already knew the first planet, Proxima Centauri b (blue orbit), but believe that a second planet revolves around the star and called Proxima Centauri c (red orbit).
"It's only a candidate," Damasso says. "It's very important to emphasize."
If there was a planet orbiting the star, it would be at least six times larger than Earth, which would give it the title of super-Earth.
It would take about 1,900 days to orbit to loop around the star, which would also mean that the average temperature of the planet's surface would be far too cold for liquid water to flow.
Three years ago, scientists were able to reveal the first known planet orbiting Proxima Centauri.
A diagram of the star systems closest to the sun. Two exoplanets could be in orbit around the nearest star, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, distant about 4.24 light-years away. It would not be in the habitable zone where the water is liquid
Orbital plot of Proxima Centauri showing its position relative to Alpha Centauri over the next millennia (graduations are in thousands of years). The large number of background stars is due to the fact that Proxima Cen is located very close to the plane of the Milky Way
They described how the planet, called Proxima Centauri b, appeared to be 1.3 times larger than the Earth and perhaps warm enough for life to exist.
Scientists seemed to notice this new and second planet after reviewing the data from the first discovery again.
The information used to detect Proxima b has been treated slightly differently. Additional new measures have also been added over the course of a year and a half.
She provided the team with about 17 years of data on the Proxima Centauri star and found that there might well be a second planet in the area.
This artist shows the planet Proxima orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the solar system. The existence of a second planet remains unconfirmed, for the moment
"This detection is very difficult," Fabio Del Sordo of the University of Crete told National Geographic. "We often wondered if it was a real planet. But what is certain is that even though this planet is a castle in the air, we should continue to work to give it even stronger foundations. & # 39;
Scientists plan to continue to collect data on the star and will further study the star and its intergalactic environment.
They believe that as future telescopes grow and become even more powerful, it will soon be possible to see the planet fully.
"It's really an incredible result, and I hope it will withstand the scientific scrutiny of the next few months and years," said Rene Heller of the Max Planck Institute. for Solar System Research at the Breakthrough Discussion Conference.
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