Recently, scientists have discovered a planet that can be considered a “larger copy” of Earth, with a great capacity to support life.
One of the data currently used to find a planet capable of sustaining life is our Earth. Scientists have looked for planets with characteristics similar to those of Earth because the chances of finding life there are greater.
And recently, experts discovered two planets that have many similarities to us, and one of them has the ability to nurture life. The planets are numbered K2-18b and K2-18c.
More specifically, this is a study conducted by a group of experts from the University of Texas (United States) and the University of Montreal (Canada). They found exoplanets (planets outside the solar system) that have a rocky surface like the Earth.
First, experts discovered K2-18b – a planet with an orbit suitable for maintaining liquid water with its host star. But later they realized that K2-18b had another “neighbor” lying next to it, with the number K2-18c.
According to the team, K2-18b and 18c are like an enlarged version of Earth, although the life capacity of the K2-18c is lower than that of its neighbor, as it can be too hot.
The two planets have orbits around K2-18, a red dwarf star. The bad news, however, is that the two candidates are located too far from us, up to 111 light years away. This means that arriving here is utopian for our generation, and even for generations.
To make this discovery, the experts used data from the European Space Research Organization in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO). The data was collected at the Chilean observatory of La Silla and analyzed on the basis of Harps (planetary spectroscopy).
Observatory in Chile
“Being able to measure the mass and density of K2-18b is very difficult, but discovering a new exoplanet always brings a different experience”, – said Ryan Cloutier of the University of Montreal.
When K2-18b was discovered, experts had to determine whether the planet was a larger version of Earth or a miniature Neptune (Neptune is a gas planet). To do this, they need to measure the mass of the planet, and Harps will help them do that.
“Measure the mass and the radius, you will calculate the density of the planet, and be able to know what it is made of” – shared Cloutier.
As a result, K2-18b has a solid surface, with a rather dense Earth-like atmosphere, but larger.
According to the team, K2-18b will be a very clear target for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) in 2019.
“If the James Webb glasses were launched, we could better locate the planet’s atmosphere, and see whether the planet has water or not,” Cloutier added.
According to study co-author Professor René Doyon of the University of Montreal, James Webb will be a “hot topic” for astronomers. The demand for using JWST will be huge, so they should carefully choose the target of the research and observe when it is their turn.
