The super-Earth is called Ross 508b, and it has a mass four times that of Earth. But a year lasts only 11 Earth days.
“Are we alone in the universe?” It is a question we have always asked ourselves, and although humanity has not yet reached the point of giving Important responsesScientists are constantly searching for evidence that could indicate the existence of life beyond Earth. What better way than to find other Earth-like planets? The program SubaruThis experiment, which began in 2007 using Japan’s Subaru telescope of the same name, allowed scientists to discover a potentially habitable super-Earth just 37 light-years away.
What we know about Ross 508B
communicate Ross 508BIt is a super-Earth with a mass about four times that of our planet. The interesting thing is that one year on Ross 508b only lasts 11 Earth DayThis means that its orbit is not very large, also because it is located close to it. to a red dwarfIt is much smaller than our Sun, which also means that its gravitational field is not as strong as ours. Ross 508b is therefore orbiting this red dwarf at a distance of only 5 million kilometers (Mercury, for example, is 60 million kilometers away from the Sun.)
So the question that naturally arises is: how can a planet so close to its parent star be considered habitable? The answer lies in the elliptical orbit of the planet, which does not allow it to be always close to the star. In other words, this celestial body He is constantly in and out. From what is called habitable areaAmong other things, scientists believe that a planet like Ross 508b might be capable of this. water retention On its surface. However, further studies and observations will be needed to understand whether water (and therefore life) thrives on this new world.
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