A Planet Close To Earth Could Be Habitable, But There's A Catch
Scientists have found a habitable planet, but there's a catch! The planet, called Proxima b, is situated only 4.3 light-years away from us. It's also only slightly bigger than Earth, meaning it might be a good fit for potential human colonies.
In fact, there's another similarity. The red dwarf star it orbits is also similar in age to our own Sun. Proxima b has been of interest to scientists in the recent past. A new study suggest claims that it could be home to a large ocean and liquid water.
A second home for humans? May be!
In turn, this could imply the existence of life on the planet. However, half of the planet is permanently dark. Proxima b is tidally locked in orbit to its star, implying that half of the planet gets permanent daylight while the other half experiences permanent darkness.
Simulations suggest that the planet could have a big cover of ocean that could exist also exist on the dark side of the planet where it could be frozen. With ocean into play, Proxima b could truly be habitable.
Also read:?One-Third Of Milky Way's Planets Could Harbour Life-Sustaining Liquid Water: Study
Even then, the model suggests that the ocean would be colder than previously assumed. This means that the planet is not the ideal tropical vacation spot, but could still host life. Sadly, while the planet is close to Earth on the cosmic scale, it's still quite far for humans to travel. To reach the planet at a reasonable speed, human spacecraft would need to travel at the speed of light, or at least near speed of light. Our current spacecraft are far from being this capable.
For perspective, the Parker Solar Probe is the fastest thing designed by humans. It was launched in 2018 to observe the outer corona of the Sun and will make its closest approach to the Sun in 2015. It can reach speeds of 692,017 kilometres, about 0.064% of the speed of light.
Also read:?Scientists Catch A Star Swallowing A Planet For The First Time
Essentially, there's still a long way to go before Proxima b becomes in our reach. Otherwise, humans could try to find a habitable planet nearer than Proxima b. Or perhaps, we could take strict climate action and prevent the demise of Earth?
What do you think about the scope of Proxima b being humanity's next home? Let us know in the comments below.?For more in the world of?technology?and?science, keep reading?Indiatimes.com.??
