“Gliese 12 b”: A new planet discovered by scientists that is potentially habitable

Scientists have discovered a planet that is theoretically habitable for humans.

This exoplanet, called Gliese 12 b, is very similar to Earth and orbits a star smaller than the Sun.

However, it is located outside our solar system, 40 light-years away.

'This is an exciting discovery'. Astrophysicist Thomas Wilson has reason to rejoice: several scientists from the British University of Warwick, in cooperation with NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA), have confirmed the existence of a new planetoid where humans could potentially survive. He survives. This exoplanet is called Gliese 12 b. It is one of the few rocky planets known to be theoretically habitable.

Thursday, May 23, two teams of scientists shared their discovery by publishing two studies in specialized journals Astrophysical Journal Letters And Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. They discovered the planet using data collected by NASA's telescope called TESS.

Properties similar to those found on Earth

If Gliese 12 b is arousing so much interest from astronomers, it's because it meets a certain number of criteria that are very similar to those of Earth. First, of all the other planets that have already been discovered, it is the one with dimensions similar to those of Earth, even if its small size is closer to that of Venus. The exoplanet then orbits its star, just as Earth does with the Sun. The size of this star is about 27% of the size of our sun and 60% of its temperature, to be precise. CNN.

Scientists determined that its temperature was about 42 degrees Celsius – a fairly moderate temperature for an exoplanet – based on the assumption that it had no atmosphere. “The exciting thing is that this planet is the closest planet we know of in terms of size and temperature.”astrophysicist Thomas Wilson At the BBC.

A journey that takes 225 thousand years to reach

However, there are still two issues to decide: Does Gliese 12 b have an atmosphere or not? Can it harbor water on its surface? Astronomers confirm that the exoplanet is, in any case, located at a sufficient distance for water to exist in a liquid state. The conclusions of these two questions will be crucial, because they determine whether life can develop there. To try to answer these questions, scientific teams intend to analyze and dissect the exoplanet's atmosphere, with the hope of being able to use the James Webb Telescope.

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In contrast, Gliese 12 b is located 12 parsecs and 40 light-years from Earth, in another solar system. In other words, it would take about 225,000 years to hopefully reach it on the space rockets we currently have, astrophysicist Larissa Palethorpe explained to CNN. Studying this new planet will above all allow us to learn more about our planet. “This planet in particular will teach us how Earth became habitable.” Larissa Palethorpe stated, “It will tell us about the habitability paths that planets take as they evolve.”