Possible Earth-Like Planet Next Door?

Possible Earth-Like Planet Next Door?

Scientists say they discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting the star closest to our planet other than the Sun.

It is the closest planet ever found outside our solar system that could support life as we know it.

This exoplanet is just 4.2 light years away from us. It is so close that space scientists have likened it to a next door neighbor. They say it could be reached by an unmanned spacecraft before the end of the century — in time for people alive today to see it.

An international team of astronomers¹ found the planet orbiting the star “Proxima Centauri.” The scientific publication Nature published their findings last month.

Not-too-hot, not-too-cold

Scientists have long thought that a planet with water and a not-too-hot, but not-too-cold climate are important for life. That is, if the planet has an atmosphere. Because the exoplanet exists, scientists say, other Earth-like planets may be everywhere in our galaxy².

The newly-discovered planet is a little larger than Earth. Scientists have named it Proxima b. It orbits its sun -- Proxima Centauri – once every 11 days.

The American space agency NASA has been using the Kepler telescope and other instruments for years to look for earth-like planets. In 2013, scientists’ best guess was that there are about a billion “Earths” in the universe.

Alan Boss is the Chair of NASA’s advisory³ group for Exoplanet exploration. He told VOA that Proxima b not only confirms the discovery of a planet, but also increases the number of other possible “Earths” by a huge amount.

Boss said it is possible, even likely, that most stars have at least one earth-like planet orbiting them, which he considers “astounding⁴.”

So from the early estimates of a billion, this new research suggests there may be as many possible Earth-like planets as there are stars in our galaxy. That is, anywhere from 250 billion to 500 billion “Earths.”

This makes the possibility of living organisms increasingly likely. Boss said he believes human beings will prove that there is life in places other than Earth in his lifetime. “I am 65,” he told VOA, “but I expect to still be alive when it happens.”

Paul Butler works at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. He told VOA that finding Proxima b “makes the case concrete” that there are other planets where life could exist.

The confirmation⁵ of this planet came from a team of astronomers that call themselves “The Pale Red Dot Campaign.”

The name comes from the star Proxima Centauri, which is classified as a Red Dwarf⁶ star. Astronomers say it is seen as a “pale red dot” in the sky.

The Pale Red Dot Campaign looks for planets near Proxima Centauri. The scientists studied a very small back-and-forth wobble in the star. They believe that movement could result from the pull of an orbiting planet.

Paul Butler said the researchers used two telescopes in different countries to look for possible planets like Earth. Discovering Proxima b, he believes, changes the world.

“This work has resulted in the discovery of hundreds of planets around the nearest stars, and now a potentially habitable planet around the nearest star in the sky,” Butler said.

He added, “This work confirms, that potentially habitable planets are common, and points the way to the future when such planets will be directly observed with giant ground- and space-based telescopes.”

What would it take to get there?

Proxima b is 45 trillion kilometers away from Earth.

Alan Boss said that humans might be able to get a robot spacecraft there, in about 50 years or so, if we leave tomorrow. The spacecraft would have to move really fast, about 10 percent the speed of light. Once it got there, a camera could take pictures and send them back at the speed of light.

Some people alive today might get to see the first real pictures of a planet beyond our solar system. And that, is something to think about.

Words in This Story

exoplanet – n. a planet that orbits a star other than our sun

galaxy – n. any one of a very large group of stars that make up our universe

guess – n. an opinion or answer on something you do not know much about

astounding – adj. causing a feeling of great surprise or wonder

concrete – adj. solid, like the hard strong material of concrete

wobble – n. a very small movement

habitable – adj. something than can support life

1 astronomers   

n.天文学者，天文学家( astronomer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Astronomers can accurately foretell the date,time,and length of future eclipses. 天文学家能精确地预告未来日食月食的日期、时刻和时长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Astronomers used to ask why only Saturn has rings. 天文学家们过去一直感到奇怪，为什么只有土星有光环。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 galaxy   

n.星系；银河系；一群(杰出或著名的人物)

参考例句：

• The earth is one of the planets in the Galaxy.地球是银河系中的星球之一。
• The company has a galaxy of talent.该公司拥有一批优秀的人才。

3 advisory   

adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询

参考例句：

• I have worked in an advisory capacity with many hospitals.我曾在多家医院做过顾问工作。
• He was appointed to the advisory committee last month.他上个月获任命为顾问委员会委员。

4 astounding   

adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词)

参考例句：

• There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
• The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 confirmation   

n.证实，确认，批准

参考例句：

• We are waiting for confirmation of the news.我们正在等待证实那个消息。
• We need confirmation in writing before we can send your order out.给你们发送订购的货物之前，我们需要书面确认。

6 dwarf   

n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小

参考例句：

• The dwarf's long arms were not proportional to his height.那侏儒的长臂与他的身高不成比例。
• The dwarf shrugged his shoulders and shook his head. 矮子耸耸肩膀，摇摇头。