Facing many debates about the existence or non-existence of life on other planets, studies and research are being done. In this sense, although there is no evidence of life outside Earth, many advances have been made regarding the discovery of planets capable of harboring life. Hence next dAn exoplanet that was recently discovered is an example.
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life on other planets
Discussions about the existence of life on other planets – or not – are very common. However, till date no planet with life has been found. On the other hand, studies have already shown that 3 out of 4 stars can harbor life in extreme conditions. In addition, it is estimated that there are approximately 3 billion habitable planets in the Milky Way, the Milky Way where the Solar System is located.
According to the European Southern Observatory in Chile, an exoplanet has been identified that has conditions to harbor life. It is a planet that is not part of the Solar System, but gravitates around another star. In this sense, it is estimated among astronomers that there are trillions of planets outside the Solar System.
New exoplanet discovered
To harbor life, the planet must be in the star’s habitable zone, that is, where liquid water collects on the surface of a rocky planet. In particular, this exoplanet star named Proxima is found in the habitable zone of Centauri. This star is smaller and cooler than the Sun, making it part of the “red dwarf” category.
The exoplanet takes about five days to complete its orbit and has a quarter of Earth’s mass, making it the lightest exoplanet ever found. Furthermore, it has a density of less than 0.1 g/cm and is located four light-years away from Centauri. Previously, two other exoplanets orbiting Centauri were discovered: Proxima b and Proxima c.