Our nearest exoplanet looks more like Earth than previously thought

New instruments and new observations of long-discovered space objects allow us to see a clearer picture of the Universe around us. Thus, three years ago, the shell spectrograph put into operation ESPRESSO with hitherto incredible accuracy helped clarify the mass of the closest exoplanet to us in the Proxima Centauri system. The accuracy of the measurement was 1/10 of the mass of the Earth, which quite recently could have been considered science fiction.

The existence of the exoplanet Proxima b was first announced in 2013. In 2016, the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) HARPS spectrograph helped determine the estimated mass of the exoplanet, which was 1,3 Earth's. A recent re-examination of the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri using the ESPRESSO shell spectrograph showed that the mass of Proxima b is closer to that of Earth and is 1,17 of the weight of our planet.

The red dwarf star Proxima Centauri is located 4,2 light years from our system. This is an extremely convenient object for study, and it is very good that the exoplanet Proxima b, which revolves around this star with a period of 11,2 days, turned out to be almost a twin of the Earth in terms of mass and size characteristics. This opens up the possibility of further detailed study of the exoplanet, which will be continued with the help of new instruments.

In particular, the European Southern Observatory in Chile will receive a new High Resolution Echelle Spectrometer (HIRES) and a RISTRETTO spectrometer. New instruments will make it possible to record spectra emitted by the exoplanet itself. This will make it possible to learn about the presence and, possibly, the composition of its atmosphere. The planet is located in the so-called habitable zone of its star, which allows us to hope for the presence of liquid water on its surface and, potentially, for the existence of biological life.

At the same time, it must be remembered that Proxima b is 20 times closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun. This means that the exoplanet is exposed to 400 times more radiation than Earth. Only a dense atmosphere can protect biological life on the surface of an exoplanet. Scientists hope to find out all these nuances in future studies.

Source: 3dnews.ru