The search for a planet similar to Earth has been going on for decades, and with today’s technology, living on different planets is no longer a dream. In the past days, we shared with you 10 exoplanets with similar living conditions to Earth. Although these exoplanets located in the so-called habitable zone have similar aspects to Earth, some are thought to be extremely hot and some may be freezing cold.
Although studies on exoplanets with the highest probability of being similar to Earth continue, the existence of an exoplanet at the same level as the living conditions on Earth has not been finalized yet. A new study suggests that there is an exoplanet with much more similar features to our planet in a new binary star system at a distance that can be considered close to Earth.
New planet found in many aspects similar to Earth
Alpha Centauri AB’, a system of two Sun-like stars 4.37 light-years from Earth New information has emerged that the Earth may have living conditions very similar to those on our planet. Haiyang Wang of ETH Zurich studied two star systems thought to be close to the habitable zone. The mineral composition of a rocky exoplanet is reflected in other stars within the same system. For this reason, the researchers analyzed the chemical compositions of two stars, Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman, to see if there is another Earth-like rocky planet in the habitable zone.
As a result of the examinations made in Alpha Centauri AB, which is known as the closest star system to the sun, information about a new planet has emerged. He revealed that the planet, which the researchers named α-Cen-Earth, was similar to Earth in many ways. The researchers determined that α-Cen-Earth may have a mineral composition very similar to Earth’s and a planet-like water storage capacity. It also turned out to be a rocky mantle containing a healthy proportion of carbon-bearing minerals such as diamond and graphite.
It can provide information about what will happen in the Earth’s atmosphere in the future
According to the research, this new planet may have an iron core slightly larger than Earth, and at the same time, it may have a larger iron core than our planet. It may also have less geological activity. It is likely to have plate tectonics more similar to Venus. This, in turn, can greatly affect the living conditions of the planet.
It is also among the possibilities that the atmosphere of the planet in its early years may have characteristics similar to that of the Earth about 3 billion years ago. When that’s the case, the researchers calculated that methane, carbon dioxide and water should dominate the planet’s atmosphere. If this information is confirmed, α-Cen-Earth, which is thought to be older than Earth due to this similarity, can also provide information about what may happen in the Earth’s atmosphere in the future.
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