Super-Earth Exoplanet Only 18 Light Years Away Just Discovered

[OneEyedDiva]

Article Excerpts:
"A new exoplanet candidate has just burst onto the scene, and it may be one of the best alien worlds yet on which to search for extraterrestrial life."

"The exoplanet is in the habitable or the 'Goldilocks Zone,' the right distance from its star that liquid water could exist on its surface, if it has the right atmosphere," explains astronomer Suvrath Mahadevan of Pennsylvania State University."
https://www.sciencealert.com/scientists-just-found-a-super-earth-exoplanet-only-18-light-years-away

 

[bobcat]

Fascinating discovery. I guess there is still a lot to learn before one could postulate whether life might exist there. Based on it's size, gravity there might be more intense, but that also depends on the density of the planet. They don't mention in the article about how stable the Red Dwarf is, and whether it has bursts of solar flares, etc.... Being that close to the sun, it's important to determine how much radiation might exist, however, if the planet has a strong ozone or magnetic shielding, it could protect anything on the surface better.

With a bit more tech development, we might be able to get a probe there in a hundred years or so, but for humans, it would take thousands of years and many hurdles. Still, it's exciting to think about that there is a planet in a habitable zone that may harbor some sort of life.