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Astrophysicist Anthony Del Genio and his colleagues at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in the United States conducted the first three-dimensional climate simulations of the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b, models similar to those used for the first time. study of climate change on Earth.
They believe that Proxima would house a larger surface of liquid water than previously thought. The temperature of this water could be colder than expected due to ocean circulation, temperature differences and the salinity of the water that lowers its freezing point.
The main information that emerges from our simulations is that there is a good chance that the planet is habitable.
– Anthony Del Genio, Goddard Institute
A planet is considered habitable when it is far from its star, which allows it to receive enough light to maintain its surface – or part of its surface – above the freezing temperature of the planet. ;water.
Since he is very close to his star, it is likely that he always shows the same face because of gravitational forces, much like the Moon always shows the same side of the Earth.
In 2016, other computer models showed that the chemical composition of its atmosphere was similar to that of the Earth and that its primitive atmosphere consisted of nitrogen and carbon dioxide.
This latest work shows that the hemisphere of the exoplanet facing its star could be very hot, while a frozen ocean would lie in the other hemisphere. Thus, only a circle of hot water could exist.
However, current simulations, more complete than the previous ones, suggest that a much more dynamic ocean would be there and would be able to efficiently transfer heat from one side to the other of the exoplanet.
"Even if the dark side never sees the light, there would remain a strip of liquid water, which would remain around the equatorial region," says Anthony Del Genio.
The details of this study are published in the journal Astrobiology.
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