Discovery of a New Potential Exoplanet Near Earth Capable of Supporting Life
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery that could significantly alter our understanding of the search for extraterrestrial life.
A new exoplanet classified as a ‘super-Earth’ has been found just 18 light-years away in the constellation Gemini.
Named GJ 251c, this planet exhibits characteristics that make it one of the most promising candidates for studying potential habitable conditions beyond Earth.
It orbits a red dwarf star, which piques scientific interest in its life-supporting zone.
According to researchers, GJ 251c has a mass four times that of Earth, prompting further investigations into its geological and atmospheric features.
Located within the so-called ‘habitable zone,’ where liquid water might exist on its surface, the planet offers exciting prospects for the search for life.
Although the presence of an atmosphere or signs of life have not yet been confirmed, scientists are eager to gather more data through future observations.
The discovery was made possible through over 20 years of continual monitoring of the star, during which astronomers detected slight variations caused by gravitational effects of the planet.
The Doppler effect, reflected in subtle spectral shifts as the star moves toward or away from Earth, enabled scientists to identify GJ 251c.
Additionally, a second planet, GJ 251b, was known since 2020, orbiting its star every 14 days at an approximate distance of 12 million kilometers.
More precise analysis of archived data, combined with current observations using high-precision spectrographs like HPF and NEID, helped reveal a clearer signal confirming GJ 251c’s orbital period of about 54 days.
Nonetheless, astronomers acknowledge the difficulty of observing such objects, given the high activity of red dwarf stars, which often exhibit flares, star spots, and strong stellar winds that create noise and hinder detection.
Future plans include deploying next-generation telescopes, including 30-meter class observatories, which could enable direct atmospheric study of such planets.
However, the JWST will not be able to investigate GJ 251c’s atmosphere due to its distance and the star’s size.
The upcoming decades will likely see the launch of advanced observatories capable of detailed characterization.
It is noteworthy that GJ 251, a red dwarf star with only 36% of the Sun’s mass, is known for its rocky planets, similar to Proxima Centauri b or TRAPPIST-1e.
Yet, such stars are also more hazardous due to frequent stellar flares, which can strip away planetary atmospheres.
Observations with JWST of the TRAPPIST-1 system revealed no atmospheres on three inner planets, fueling skepticism about the habitability of similar systems.
Interestingly, the first detection of an atmosphere on a rocky exoplanet, GJ 251c, could give it an advantage over other worlds, especially if it possesses a thick atmosphere and a strong magnetic field, which could help it withstand stellar winds and flares.
Researchers emphasize, however, that much remains to be learned about this planet.
A recent discovery of phosphine on the brown dwarf Wolf 1130C also raised questions, as this gas, typically produced by microbes on Earth and considered a potential biosignature, was detected in an unlikely celestial environment, prompting scientists to reevaluate the reliability of phosphine as a definitive indicator of extraterrestrial life.