Even though we love our planet so dearly, we often think that human civilization could step out of this planet and venture out into space to make another planet our home.?
Mars, even though it is the nearest planet, it is still very far away and not habitable for humans. However, NASA shared an image of a planet today that could be habitable for humanity.?
The planet is named Proxima b and it was first discovered in 2016. NASA has stated that the temperature of the planet is almost like Earth -- mild enough for liquid water to exist on its surface.
The celestial object is only slightly larger than our Earth and is known to orbit the dwarf star Proxima Centauri -- the closest star to our solar system. This planet is in the Goldilocks zone -- a zone where the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold, just right for human civilization.?
NASA says while sharing the artist's view of the planet¡¯s surface, ¡°Discovered in 2016, a roughly Earth-sized planet orbiting our nearest neighbouring star might be habitable, according to astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla, Chile, along with other telescopes around the world. The exoplanet is at a distance from its star that allows temperatures mild enough for liquid water to pool on its surface.¡±
NASA added, ¡°This artist¡¯s impression shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the solar system. The double star Alpha Centauri AB also appears in the image. Proxima b is a little more massive than the Earth and orbits in the habitable zone around Proxima Centauri, where the temperature is suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface.¡±
Could this planet possess any life? Who knows! It will be several years till a probe could reach the planet and help us know it better as the planet is roughly 4.2 light-years away.?
Just to put this into perspective, even with the probe moving at the speed of light would take 4 years to reach there. We don¡¯t have such fast spacecraft yet, so we¡¯ll have to wait till the technology advances.?