Scientists have discovered a new Earth-like planet that may harbour alien lifeforms located just 40 light-years away from our home planet.
This remarkable finding marks a significant milestone in the quest to identify habitable worlds beyond our solar system. Dubbed Gliese 12b, this newly discovered planet is slightly smaller than Earth and exhibits a slightly higher temperature. While many exoplanets discovered thus far tend to be larger and hotter than Earth, Gliese 12b stands out as a promising candidate for further exploration.
Researchers emphasize that even if alien life is not found on Gliese 12b, its discovery still holds immense value in our ongoing search for other potentially habitable planets. Orbiting its host star every 12.8 days, Gliese 12b shares similarities with Venus in terms of size yet boasts a surface temperature estimated at 42°C making it comparatively cooler than other known exoplanets.
Although scientists believe that Gliese 12b could theoretically support human survival, uncertainties remain regarding its atmosphere, if it exists at all. Understanding the composition of its atmosphere is crucial as it would determine whether the planet can sustain conditions suitable for liquid water, a prerequisite for life as we know it, to exist on its surface.
Masayuki Kuzuhara, a project assistant professor at the Astrobiology Centre in Tokyo describes the discovery as groundbreaking highlighting Gliese 12b as the nearest, temperate, Earth-sized world discovered to date. While uncertainties persist regarding its atmosphere, researchers liken Gliese 12b to an “exo-Venus” with comparable size and energy received from its star to our neighboring planet in the solar system.
Professor Thomas Wilson from the University of Warwick involved in the discovery underscores the significance of this finding in advancing our understanding of planets similar to Earth. He emphasizes the rarity of such discoveries noting that Gliese 12b offers a unique opportunity to study a planet closely despite its distance of 40 light-years.
Utilizing data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), two teams including one from Tokyo collaborated to unveil this distant world. Gliese 12, the star around which Gliese 12b orbits is a cool red dwarf located in the constellation Pisces. Despite being only 27% of the Sun’s size, Gliese 12 radiates approximately 60% of the Sun’s surface temperature.
While Gliese 12b is not the first Earth-like exoplanet discovered, its rarity and potential to support life underscore the need for further exploration and investigation into distant worlds. As humanity continues to unravel the mysteries of the cosmos, discoveries like Gliese 12b offer glimpses into the vast possibilities of our universe.
