[Sing Tao Comprehensive Report] Finding planets like Earth in the Milky Way is a slow and arduous task.In fact, in astronomers so far found5000Of the many other planets, only about12The particles are relatively close.However, since the discovery ofWolf 1069 badding one more to that figure, the planet has an Earth-like mass and may host liquid water and an atmosphere, all features that make it a good candidate for further study for signs of life.
DiscoverWolf 1069The team is based in HeidelbergMax PlanckInstitute of Astronomy, which is also in Spain’sCalar AltoObservatory work.The researchers used theCaremenesspecial spectrometer developed by the project, which aims to find the surroundingMdwarf star(also known as red dwarf)Earth-like worlds, these small, cool stars are the most common type in the Milky Way.
Previous research has shown that red dwarfs are likely to host water-rich planets orbiting them, so searching for Earth-sized worlds around these stars is a reasonable starting point for the search for life elsewhere in the Milky Way.
“When we analyzeWolf 1069When looking at the data from this star, we found a clear, low-amplitude signal that appears to be a planet about the mass of Earth,” said theDiana Kossakowskisaid, “It’s15.6The sky orbits this star at a distance equivalent to one-fifteenth of the distance between the earth and the sun. “
also foundWolf 1069 bis a tidally locked planet, meaning that one side of it always faces the sun, while the other remains in constant darkness, much like our moon.
becauseMType dwarf stars are much cooler than our sun, and planets can orbit much closer to them and still have a chance of retaining liquid water and an atmosphere.althoughWolf 1069 bis much closer to its sun than ours, but it actually gets less radiant energy from the sun than Earth does35%。
Without an atmosphere, the newly discovered planet would be cold, reaching even the sunniest side of the planet-23°C(-9.4°F).However, if the planet retained its atmosphere, its average temperature would be around13°C(55.4°F)range, which would make it more suitable for life and capable of sustaining liquid water. The atmosphere would also help shield it from electromagnetic radiation from the sun, which would again increase the likelihood that life could thrive on its surface.
Unfortunately, as with the discovery of other Earth-like exoplanets, such asTrappist-1 e systemand Proxima bFurther studies that can reveal the evidence and composition of the atmosphere, and potentially the presence of life, will have to wait because current instruments are not equipped to provide this level of detail.
Kossakowskisaid, “We may have to wait10Year. By then, the Extremely Large Telescope, currently under construction in Chile, should be ready for use.When it comes online, it will be the world’s largest optical and infrared telescope and will be able to provideWolf 1069 bAnd an up-close look at what’s happening on other potentially life-supporting planets in our galaxy. ,
picture:NASA/Ames Research Center/Daniel Rutter
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