One of the purposes that scientists work for is to search for a habitable planet for our species and for other species, animals and plants that live on Earth, because our planet as we know, although it is beautiful and wonderful in every sense of the word, is one that one day will not be habitable due to pollution, overpopulation or some other natural phenomena or external factors that make life impossible. For this reason, scientists have been searching hard for many planets that are candidates for life, because as we all know, there are solar systems close to ours that contain orbiting planets and could be habitable.
Today we share with you a recent discovery by Dr. Shweta Dalal, a renowned researcher at the University of Exeter.
About the latest discovery
Astronomers have discovered three potential “super-Earth” exoplanets orbiting a relatively nearby orange dwarf star. The exoplanets orbit the star HD 48498, which is located about 55 light-years from Earth, with orbital periods of 7, 38, and 151 Earth days, respectively. The exoplanet is located in the habitable zone of its host star, where conditions could allow for liquid water to exist. The discovery is significant because this orange dwarf star is similar to our Sun and represents the closest planetary system to host a super-Earth in the habitable zone. Dr. Shweta Dalal, The leader of the research team at the University of Exeter said that this discovery is an exciting step forward in the search for habitable planets orbiting sun-like stars, with a mass greater than Earth but less than the ice giants Uranus and Neptune, which have been identified through observations.
What is the “habitable zone of a planetary system?”
In astrophysics, the region Habitability The stellar perihelion is the region around a star where the radiation flux would allow liquid water to exist on the surface of a rocky planet. For a planet to be in this zone, its mass must be between 0.5 and 10 times that of Earth and its atmospheric pressure must be greater than 6.1 millibars. In addition to distance from the star, other factors, such as orbital eccentricity and atmospheric properties, affect habitability. If the planet is too close, it will experience a greenhouse effect like Venus; if it is too far, its water will freeze. The discovery of rocky exoplanets in this zone has increased interest in astrobiology and exoplanetary science.
Searching for new planets for life
Exploring and searching for habitable planets is a fascinating field of astrobiology. Scientists seek to understand the conditions for habitability on other planets, such as the presence of suitable atmospheres and liquid water. NASA, for example, is studying exoplanets to understand their atmospheres and determine whether they are habitable. Although concrete evidence of life on other planets has yet to be found, searching for biosignatures and exploring promising ocean worlds, such as Europa, are areas of focus. Advanced space technology and missions are bringing us closer to the possibility of finding life beyond Earth.
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