New Earth-Sized Planet Discovered Just 40 Light Years Away
A recent discovery by an international team, including Australian university student Shishir Dholakia, has unveiled an Earth-sized planet named Gliese 12b, just 40 light years away. The planet, described as potentially habitable due to its estimated surface temperature of 42C, is orbiting a cool red dwarf star in the Pisces constellation. Dholakia and his team collaborated with Nasa to confirm the existence of this new planet, opening up possibilities for further study using advanced space telescopes like the James Webb telescope. This discovery could potentially bridge the gap in understanding why planets like Earth and Venus turned out to be so different in terms of their atmospheres.
Prominent US Astronomer Predicts Existence of Planet Nine
Michael Brown, a planetary astronomy professor at the California Institute of Technology, has raised the possibility of a new planet, dubbed Planet Nine, lurking closer to our solar system. Brown’s research, based on the gravitational effects observed on objects around Neptune, suggests a one-in-a-million chance of the existence of this mysterious planet. Despite years of speculation, no concrete evidence of Planet Nine has been found yet. This hypothesis opens up new avenues for exploration and could potentially reshape our understanding of the solar system.
Nasa’s Tess Satellite Revolutionizing Exoplanet Discovery
Nasa’s transiting exoplanet survey satellite, Tess, has been instrumental in the discovery of Earth-sized planets orbiting red dwarfs like Gliese 12b. The satellite’s ability to capture the transit of orbiting worlds around tens of thousands of stars has paved the way for groundbreaking discoveries in the field of exoplanet research. The potential for further study using advanced telescopes like the James Webb space telescope highlights the importance of Tess in expanding our knowledge of distant planetary systems.
