Planet in star system next door may have ocean: study | The Daily Star
Skip to main content
T
Saturday, April 1, 2023
The Daily Star
E-paper Today's News বাংলা
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Culture
  • Life & Living
  • Youth
  • Tech & Startup
  • Feature
    • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Showbiz
    • Star Health
    • Satireday
    • Shout
    • Toggle
    • Star Literature
    • In Focus
    • Star Youth
    • Shift
    • Daily Star Books
    • Roundtables
    • Star Holiday
    • weekend read
  • More
    • Environment
    • NRB
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights
  • E-paper
  • বাংলা
Search Epaper T
  • Today's News
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Culture
  • Life & Living
  • Youth
  • Tech & Startup
  • Feature
    • Lifestyle
    • Arts & Entertainment
    • Showbiz
    • Star Health
    • Satireday
    • Shout
    • Toggle
    • Star Literature
    • In Focus
    • Star Youth
    • Shift
    • Daily Star Books
    • Roundtables
    • Star Holiday
    • weekend read
  • More
    • Environment
    • NRB
    • Supplements
    • Law & Our Rights

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Apps
  • Comment Policy
  • RSS
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Conference Hall
  • Archives
Space Science

Planet in star system next door may have ocean: study

AFP, Paris
Sat Oct 8, 2016 06:28 PM Last update on: Sat Oct 8, 2016 06:39 PM
New research suggests that Proxima b — a rocky planet orbiting a star just 4.2 light-years from Earth — is likely an “ocean planet.” Photo taken from Yahoo News

A rocky planet discovered in the "habitable" zone of the star nearest our Sun may be covered with oceans, researchers said on Thursday.

A team including astrophysicists at French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) have calculated the size and surface properties of the planet dubbed Proxima b, and concluded it may be an "ocean planet" similar to Earth.

For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.

Scientists announced Proxima b's discovery in August, and said it may be the first exoplanet -- planet outside our Solar System -- to one day be visited by robots from Earth.

The planet orbits within a "temperate" zone from its host star Proxima Centauri, some four light years from us.

It is estimated to have a mass about 1.3 times that of Earth, and orbits about 7.5 million kilometres (4.6 million miles) from its star -- about a tenth the distance of innermost planet Mercury from the Sun.

"Contrary to what one might expect, such proximity does not necessarily mean that Proxima b's surface is too hot" for water to exist in liquid form, said a CNRS statement.

Proxima Centauri is smaller and 1,000 times weaker than our Sun, which means Proxima b is at exactly the right distance for conditions to be potentially habitable.

"The planet may very well host liquid water on its surface, and therefore also some forms of life," the statement said.

The size of exoplanets are generally calculated by measuring how much light they block out, from Earth's perspective, when they pass in front of their host star.

But no such transit of Proxima b has yet been observed, so the team had to rely on simulations to estimate the planet's composition and radius.

They calculated the radius was between 0.94 and 1.4 times that of Earth, which is 6,371 kilometres on average.

Assuming a minimum radius of 5,990 km, the planet would be very dense, with a metallic core making up two-thirds of the entire planet's mass, surrounded by a rocky mantle.

If there is surface water, it would not contribute more than 0.05 percent to the planet's total mass, the team said -- similar to Earth, where it is about 0.02 percent.

In the larger planet scenario, with a radius of 8,920 km, Proxima b's mass would be split 50-50 between a rocky centre and surrounding water.

"In this case, Proxima b would be covered by a single, liquid ocean 200 km deep," said the CNRS.

"In both cases, a thin, gassy atmosphere could surround the planet, like on Earth, rendering Proxima b potentially habitable," it concluded.

Related topic:
Proxima bProxima Centaurired dwarfexoplanetFrench National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS)new Earth-like planet may have waterastronomyAstrophysical Journal Lettershabitable zoneGoldilocks zone
Apple Google
Click to comment

Comments

Comments Policy

Related News

Advance in astronomy 'can help find other worlds'

See Venus and Jupiter dance together tonight

New Horizons delivers first images of icy world since Pluto flyby

Black holes can be spotted with backyard telescopes

More than 800 dark galaxies found

১ ঘণ্টা আগে|বাংলাদেশ

প্রতিবেদন নয়, শামসুজ্জামান গ্রেপ্তার শিশু নির্যাতনের জন্য: পররাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়

‘তিনি মহান স্বাধীনতা দিবসে বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতাকে ক্ষুণ্ন করার চেষ্টা করেছেন। এসব কর্মকাণ্ড নিশ্চিতভাবেই শাস্তিমূলক অপরাধ।’

৩ ঘণ্টা আগে|বাণিজ্য

স্বর্ণের দাম আবার বেড়ে ভরিপ্রতি ৯৯ হাজার ১৪৪ টাকা

The Daily Star
Journalism without fear or favour
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Apps
  • Comment Policy
  • RSS
  • Sitemap
  • Advertisement
  • Newsletter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Conference Hall
  • Archives
© 2023 thedailystar.net | Powered by: RSI LAB
Copyright: Any unauthorized use or reproduction of The Daily Star content for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.
X