Is Proxima b our 'neighbor' planet?

" Exotic " Proxima b - recently discovered " 2nd Earth " is the closest planet outside the Solar System we have ever discovered and scientists said: " On Proxima planet b can survive life ". But what can live and survive among the stars closest to us? - That is still a question.

The two researchers affirmed: " Proxima b orbiting Proxima Centauri host star took 11.2 days - to coincide with the Proxima star's displacement meter b - they once identified as rotating planets around and its minimum weight is 1.3 times that of our Earth, the rest depends on the probability and subsequent measurements, but the results are very much expected - especially, because The distance from Earth to Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light-years - the star "closest" to the Sun " .

At the press conference, Ansgar Reiners - an astrophysicist at Göttingen University's Department of Astrophysics and the authors of the study said: " Proxima b is not just the planet above. the ground is found but also the closest planet outside the solar system discovered, because no star is closer to our solar system than it is . " Being close to our Earth makes it not only a destination - people can live but also an ideal goal to find information about them.

Researchers say: " The planet is like rock and its surface can walk up - perhaps not just a small gas planet. Its location is located around a red dwarf-like star. like Jupiter or Saturn ".

The surface of the planet "strange" Proxima b has just been discovered. Photo source: ESO / M. Kornmesser

The Proxima Centauri star is much fainter than the Sun and its weight is only 0.12 times the Sun. The distance of the planet Proxima b is nearby only 5% of the distance between our Sun and Earth. Proxima b stars nearly 1.4 times the diameter of Jupiter . The researchers said: " Because Proxima b is a planet close to orbit around planets with tidal lock (gravity lock) and synchronize rotation, which means Proxima b will always appear with the throne. its Proxima Centauri master when it orbits the Earth's Moon, half of the planet is immersed in solar radiation, while the other half is facing the outside ".

Relative sizes of the Sun, Alpha Centauri A and B, Proxima Centauri and other stars and Jupiter.Photo source: ESO

Guillem Anglada-Escude - a researcher at London's Queen Mary University and the lead author of the study - spoke about it at the press conference: " One side is always full of light, and the other is sink in gloom and darkness ".

From a position on Proxima b looking up at the sky can see two rays of the nearby binary binary Cent Centi star system - a pair of stars that researchers think is a systematic part similar to Proxima Centauri. , although it is quite far from the density of these two stars.

If there is no air, the surface of this planet may fluctuate in the negative range of 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 degrees F). The researchers said in the press conference: " About Proxima b , the temperature itself on the surface of this" Second Earth "will fluctuate between minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit) without air. If the Proxima b planet has air, the temperature will range from minus 30 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius (from minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit to 86 degrees Fahrenheit) in both the dark and bright sides, making the temperature above The surface is warmer to allow water to survive in liquid form . "

Whether there is air and water or not, the planet Proxima b still depends heavily on historical factors.

Anglada-Escude said: " It depends entirely on the initial conditions. If this" strange "planet is dry or very far away and there is plenty of water flowing from the runways (away from the star system). - where comets and debris break into ice instead, or maybe Proxima b begins to dry up, comets can rain right on the planet and make it water ".

Anglada-Escude added: " These are the first steps in the study but it is a very good opportunity - there are feasible models and stories leading to a" strange " Proxima B planet - where people have can live like our Earth today . "

Compare Proxima Centauri when looking at the sky of Proxima b compared to the Sun in our sky - it will be a much wider range because Proxima is close to the stars. The weight of that star is 0.12 times that of the Sun ( 1.4 times the diameter of Jupiter ).Photo source: ESO / G. Coleman

The researchers said: " Another thing to mention is the radiation emitting light beams near stars because Proxima Centauri is very close, X-rays and ultraviolet radiation are strong enough to stop Prevent boiling water and lose the atmosphere of the whole planet ". Scientists predict: " While high-energy radiation - about 100 times more than today's modern Earth, will not be enough to influence or hinder life - maybe time. head in the star's life is intense enough to cause great damage " .

Reiners insists: " There is nothing that eliminates the existence of air and water, all depending on the formation of the system ." For today's modern radiation " We do not think it is a success " (The mystery of the numbers of Proxima b: "Earth 2" on the planet may exist).

The researchers also mentioned other signals in the movement of stars. " Its origin is uncertain or just a star - it is possible to point out nearby planets or a larger planet and smaller stars around it " - scientists said at the time. Press Conference. " Although the planet Proxima b will lie farther, larger and away from the water area it may exist in liquid form ."

The researchers said: " Observing, learning more will help solve whether it is a Proxima b star system. More information indicates Proxima b 's planet and system seem to be definitely coming soon ".

Reiners added: " The good news is that it is very close. This is not only good for neighboring" neighbor "planets but also a dream for astronomers if we explore the next observation. ".