Space & Astronomy

Possible Earth 2.0 found 16 light years away

By T.K. Randall
April 20, 2016 ·  23 comments

Could there be an Earth-like world just 16 light years away ? Image Credit: NASA Found in orbit around red dwarf star GJ 832, the new planet is thought to lie within the 'Golidlocks zone' where liquid water can exist and may have a mass approximately 15 times that of the Earth.

It lies alongside two other worlds of which one of these - Gliese 832b - is a gas giant around 60% the mass of Jupiter and the other - Gliese 832c - is a smaller but hostile world similar to Venus.

The third planet by contrast, which is thought to exist sandwiched between the other two, seems like it could be a much more favorable place to look for signs of extraterrestrial life.It was found using a technique known as 'radial velocity method' (RV) which works by detecting and analyzing periodic shifts in the frequency of the starlight.

While the new planet's existence has yet to be confirmed, its location just 16 light years away would mean that it is practically on our doorstep compared to most other known extrasolar worlds.

As telescopes become more powerful we may even be able to view it directly before too long.

Source: Discovery News | Comments (23)

Tags: Earth, Extrasolar, Planet