New Exoplanet Discovered in Nearest Star to Earth

The researches carried out by humanity in the depths of space are of great importance in terms of finding extraterrestrial life and planets suitable for life. The reason for this is the benefits that understanding the secrets of the universe and finding a planet considered suitable for life can provide people in the coming years. The discovery of planets outside our solar system, called ‘exoplanets’, is also considered the most important of the steps taken towards the goals we have stated.

In the past weeks, we have compiled the exoplanets that may be suitable for life for you. In addition, a few months ago, an artificial intelligence discovered more than 300 new exoplanets with the help of the Kepler Space Telescope and raised hopes. Now a new exoplanet has been discovered in Proxima Centauri, which is described as a ‘neighboring star’ and is very close to our solar system.

Possible to be habitable

First of all, let’s mention that planets have been discovered in the orbit of this star, which is 4.2 light years away. In the news we shared with you, we mentioned that astronomers named the exoplanets they discovered ‘Proxima b’ and ‘Proxima Centauri c’. In the research carried out now, a brand new exoplanet orbiting the star called ‘Proxima d’ has been discovered.

According to the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, Proxima d is among the lightest exoplanets ever discovered, with a mass four times less than Earth. Joao Faria, one of the authors of the study, also said about the planet, “This discovery shows that our closest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, is full of interesting and new ‘worlds’; It shows that more research and discoveries can be made on this subject,” he said.

Experts also highlight the exciting aspects of discovery. Noting that there is a possibility of water on the surface of the planet Proxima d, which was discovered using a telescope of the European Southern Observatory and a planet-seeking device called HARPS, the researchers add that the planet completes a full tour around the star in 5 days.

First observed in 2020

In addition, the team stated in their statement that they first observed the planet in 2020. However, it was reported that the signal received at that time was very weak, so the discovery was made with the ‘radial velocity technique’, in which the planet was observed in the future with the help of a spectrograph called ESPRESSO and the wobble formed in the stars due to the gravitational force of the planet was examined. “After making new observations, we were able to confirm that the signal is a planet candidate. I was also excited to discover such a close exoplanet with a small signal.

Finally, experts state that these techniques can be used to explore more planets. Pedro Figueira of ESPRESSO also thinks that such tiny signals could be discovered and tracked through spectrographs, and Earth-like, habitable planets could be discovered in the depths of the galaxy.