This “Super Earth” is considered to have tremendous potential, although … far from us.
Recently, astronomers confirmed a new “super Earth”. This planet is located 21 light years from us and has enormous potential for life.
More precisely, this “super Earth” has a mass approximately 3 times greater than ours, with a solid surface. According to experts from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands – IAC (Spain), the planet revolves around a dwarf star of size M, at a distance just sufficient to keep liquid water on the surface.
Experts discovered the planet while observing with the National Galileo Telescope at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory. Using HARPS-N (a very high precision planetary tracking system in the northern hemisphere), they obtained 151 spectra, over a period of 3.5 years.
GJ625 has a remote planet just enough to support life
At a distance of 21 light years, a spectrum with such a short period indicates the presence of a planet, orbiting the red dwarf GJ625. The planet’s cycle is estimated to be around 14 days.
“GJ625 is a relatively cool star, so the planet is close, but still in a survival range, that is, there is liquid water on the surface” – said Alejandro Suárez Mascareño, one of the experts conducting the study.
Then, the experts plan to observe the planet further, to determine the diameter, density and properties and composition of the atmosphere. In this way, we will officially confirm whether this planet is capable of sustaining life or not.
“There may be many solid planets around GJ625. Maybe too close, too far, or just enough, but we keep looking,” said González Hernández, a researcher.
