image source, ESO / P. Oralek
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Telescope in Chile that has found planets outside the Solar System that are believed to be habitable and support life.
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6 hours ago
A rocky planet outside our solar system that could support life has been discovered by an international team of scientists, including scientists from the University of Birmingham in the UK.
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The planet, known as SPECULOOS-2c, is about 40% larger than Earth.
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SPECULOOS-2c’s surface temperature has led scientists to believe the planet may be habitable by humans, as it shouldn’t allow water to evaporate or freeze.
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In other words, on the surface of the planet, liquid water can be kept.
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“It is larger than Earth, about 40% larger. The temperature on the surface of this planet can support liquid water, which means it has the potential to be habitable,” said Georgina Dransfield, a member of the team at scientists who discovered SPECULOOS-2c in a BBC interview.
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Amaury Triaud, professor of exoplanetology at the University of Birmingham who is actively involved in the planet discovery project, explains that the habitable zone is a concept in which a planet has atmospheric and geological conditions similar to those of Earth.
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“This habitable zone should be able to sustain the existence of water in liquid form for billions of years,” added Triaud.
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There are some that can be inhabited
The position of SPECULOOS-2c is approximately 100 light years from Earth. In astronomy, one light year equals 9.4 trillion kilometers.
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So far, not much information has been obtained about SPECULOOS-2c, aside from its size and the time the planet orbits its sun, known as LP 890-9, which is 8.5 days.
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The team of scientists hopes the James Webb Space Telescope will help scientists discover the planet’s atmosphere and contents.
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Commenting on the SPECULOOS-2c discovery, Beth Miller of the University of Edinburgh told New Scientist that the fact that the planet is close enough to its sun could reduce its habitable potential, because the closer it is to the sun it is surrounded by. it means that the planet is receiving very strong radiation. .
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Among scientists, so far there are several planets outside the Solar System that have the potential to support life.
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Among them are LP 890-9b and TRAPPIST-1e which were discovered in 2016.
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