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Published on Aug 25, 2016
지구닮은 행성 프록시마 b
Scientists have discovered an earth-like planet that's not too far away,... at least in cosmic terms.
Scientists have discovered an earth-like planet that's not too far away,... at least in cosmic terms.
It's the closest planet to our solar system and the most important discovery in more than 20 years -- as it could be able to sustain life.
Lee Un-shin has this story.
They call it Proxima b, an earth-like planet orbiting the closest star to our solar system.
After years of research, a group of international scientists has confirmed the existence of the planet by measuring the subtle color changes of the light coming from its host star, Proxima Centauri.
So what makes this planet so much like Earth?
According to their announcement on Thursday and reported in the journal Nature, the scientists are positive Proxima b, with a mass of 1.3 Earth masses, is similar to Earth in its shape and composition.
So unlike a gas ball such as Jupiter, this rocky planet has a surface that one could possibly stand on.
And that's not all.
This planet also provides hope of finding life beyond Earth, as it possibly contains the essentials for life.
"We have no clue whether this planet has an atmosphere or not, whether it has water or not. But the existence of it is actually plausible.."
The temperature of the surface of Proxima b, without the atmosphere, is minus 40-degrees Celsius.
But if it does have an atmosphere, the temperature would increase through the greenhouse effect to above 0-degrees, where liquid water becomes possible.
It would also be another similarity this exoplanet shares with ours,... as the surface temperature of the Earth would also be below zero, at around minus 20-degrees Celsius, without an atmosphere.
Located only about four-point-two light-years away, Proxima b has also made researchers hopeful about the potential for robotic exploration.
One team led by a Russian entrepreneur and physicist Stephen Hawking has already announced a project to develop a fleet of iPhone-size spacecraft equipped with cameras that would travel to the Alpha Centauri star system, which includes Proxima Centauri.
Lee Un-shin, Arirang News.
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