Supersized earthlike exoplanet discovered in nearby star system
- 7 years ago
CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS — American scientists have discovered a super-sized earthlike planet in a nearby star system that could support alien life.
The research, conducted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, was published in the journal Nature last month.
According to a news release on the center’s website, the exoplanet LHS 1140b orbits a red dwarf star every 25 days at a proximity ten times closer than earth to the sun.
This red dwarf star is much dimmer and cooler than the sun, meaning the star’s habitable zone is closer. However, its cosmic radiation could still damage the planet.
LHS 1140b is 1.4 times the size of planet earth, but is almost seven times heavier, indicating it’s likely composed of rock and an iron core.
It’s because of this density that researchers believe the planet may be robust to enough to endure the radiation and still hold water.
The research, conducted by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, was published in the journal Nature last month.
According to a news release on the center’s website, the exoplanet LHS 1140b orbits a red dwarf star every 25 days at a proximity ten times closer than earth to the sun.
This red dwarf star is much dimmer and cooler than the sun, meaning the star’s habitable zone is closer. However, its cosmic radiation could still damage the planet.
LHS 1140b is 1.4 times the size of planet earth, but is almost seven times heavier, indicating it’s likely composed of rock and an iron core.
It’s because of this density that researchers believe the planet may be robust to enough to endure the radiation and still hold water.