NASA finds nearby Earth-like exoplanet that could support intelligent life

Astronomers searching for habitable planets have recently turned their attention to stars known as M dwarfs. Though they are also considered “red dwarf” stars like the Sun, these stars have lower luminosities than the Sun, which makes planets passing in front of them more noticeable to our telescopes.

Because M dwarfs emit less light, they create stronger signals when a planet transits. This setup has boosted efforts to find worlds similar in size to our own.

Scientists have concentrated on rocky planets around M dwarfs because any habitable zone hugs the star more tightly than Earth hugs the Sun.

Investigations with space missions such as TESS and K2 and ground-based ventures like HARPS and MEarth have fueled a wave of discoveries.

One well-known highlight is TRAPPIST-1, situated about 12 light-years away – around 72 trillion miles – from us. Its seven planets, roughly the size of Earth, receive sunlight comparable to what our planet gets.

Gliese 12 b has potential

These continued pursuits have uncovered a new object called Gliese 12 b, an exoplanet orbiting a star that is less active than TRAPPIST-1. Researchers think this calmer nature might preserve an atmosphere on the planet’s surface.

According to NASA, Gliese 12 b is a “super Earth exoplanet” that is nearly the same size as Earth or slightly smaller.

Masayuki Kuzuhara, a project assistant professor at the Astrobiology Center in Tokyo, has drawn attention to the planet’s significance.

“We’ve found the nearest, transiting, temperate, Earth-size world located to date,” Kuzuhara enthused.

“Although we don’t yet know whether it possesses an atmosphere, we’ve been thinking of it as an exo-Venus, with similar size and energy received from its star as our planetary neighbor in the solar system.”

Red dwarf star Gliese 12

NASA points out that a so-called cool red dwarf star like Gliese 12 is helpful for planet hunting because its planets lie well within the habitable zone.

“A smaller star means greater dimming for each transit, and a lower mass means an orbiting planet can produce a greater wobble, known as ‘reflex motion,’ of the star,” the agency said. “These effects make smaller planets easier to detect.”

Gliese 12 itself measures about 27% of the Sun’s size and has surface temperatures at roughly 60% of the solar level. Astronomers also note that the planet completes one orbit in 12.8 days.

Under the assumption that Gliese 12 b has no atmosphere, they estimate its surface temperature to be around 107 degrees Fahrenheit.

Habitability of exoplanet Gliese 12 b

The gap between Gliese 12 and Gliese 12 b is only about 7% of Earth’s distance from the Sun. This arrangement exposes the planet to 1.6 times more energy than our home world receives.

According to NASA, the reduced brightness of red dwarf stars lets astronomers pinpoint conditions that might allow liquid water to exist.

This approach could reveal whether an atmosphere remains intact on a planet that sits so close to its star.

“Gliese 12 b represents one of the best targets to study whether Earth-size planets orbiting cool stars can retain their atmospheres – an important step toward understanding habitability across our galaxy,” said Shishir Dholakia, a doctoral student at the Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia.

What happens next?

Researchers see Gliese 12 b as a strong candidate for shedding light on features that other rocky worlds may share.

“We know of only a handful of temperate planets similar to Earth that are both close enough to us and meet other criteria needed for this kind of study, called transmission spectroscopy, using current facilities,” said Michael McElwain, a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

“To better understand the diversity of atmospheres and evolutionary outcomes for these planets, we need more examples like Gliese 12 b.”

Scientists plan to keep Gliese 12 b on their radar by gathering data that may indicate the presence or absence of any gases around it. They hope these observations will fill some missing pieces in models of how planetary systems grow.

Special instrumentation on ground-based observatories and data from orbiting platforms could confirm whether that thin blanket of molecules is escaping into space or staying put.

The red dwarf angle

Red dwarfs draw sustained attention because of their potential for life-bearing environments. As the smallest and coolest stars, they allow improved chances to detect transits and measure planetary signals with less interference.

These hunts have led to the identification of other neighboring systems, but Gliese 12 b offers a new laboratory to examine factors like temperature, size, and star-to-planet distance in real time.

Some red dwarf planets look scorched and barren, but others may have comfortable conditions.

Gliese 12 b’s size, short orbital period, and relatively low stellar activity have stirred anticipation among those who track these quiet, cool stars and their companions.

Why does any of this matter?

The Gliese 12 b announcement highlights the persistence required to identify smaller worlds circling dimmer stars, especially M dwarfs.

Specialists note that pinpointing Earth-like planets can be challenging, but focused attention on red dwarfs has paid off by producing a fresh batch of observations.

Whether it reveals a robust protective layer of gases or a barren surface remains to be seen.

What’s certain is that Gliese 12 b has become one of the most interesting places to watch, offering a potential example of how rocky neighbors might cling to any hint of an atmosphere so close to a red dwarf.

The full study was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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