From Guest Blogger Gioietta Kuo: NEW PLANET CLOSE TO US! IS THERE LIFE?

Some might question the relevance of a post on other worlds.  Don’t we have enough problems here on Earth?  The tie-in is that humankind may, if it survives the current mismanagement of its environment, will someday need to export itself (along with, unfortunately, its insanities) onto other planets.

Of course, Mars is the leading candidate.  But it’s always interesting to look at what’s immediately around us. With that, I give you this piece from an extremely intelligent and cool women, Gioietta Kuo. 

Astronomers have discovered a new planet in our closest neighbor solar system – Proxima Centauri.  What is exciting is it is only 4.22 light years away, which means we can send signals to it.   Does it have water?  If so, is there life?

(Above: Artist rendering provided by the European Southern Observatory shows a view of the surface of the planet Proxima Centauri b)

Astronomers have just confirmed the discovery of a new planet – Proxima Centauri b,  in a solar system just closest to our solar system[1][2].   It looks a lot like our Earth.  It has a mass not less than 1.3 times that of the Earth and evolves around its star Proxima Centauri  in 11 Earth days.   It does not rotate like the Earth; it faces Proxima Centauri like our moon faces us.

What is so exciting about this discovery?

• Proxima Centauri is a ‘red dwarf.’ It is cool and red and Proxima Centauri b receives 2/3 of the light and heat the Earth does. The temperature it sustains is similar to ours. This means it is in the ‘habitable zone’.

Red dwarfs have a life time of  4 trillion years while our Sun is expected to last 4 billion years only.  In fact red dwarfs  make up for majority of stars in the galaxy.

• It is only 4.22 light years away from us.  it is our closest solar system. Which raises the possibility that we can send a signal or space  probes for reconnaissance within our lifetime.

The number one question to ask about whether there is life is: ‘IS THERE LIQUID WATER?’   At the moment data are not able to answer that.   Also related to this is there a magnetic field and atmosphere which would shield the planet from harmful rays?

A new larger telescope – 39 meter ESO E-ELT is under construction in Chile.  We  look forward to the space telescope James Webb Space Telescope- successor to Hubbard Telescope to be launched this decade.

What is exciting is if Proxima Centauri b turns out to be habitable.   Can humanity on Earth move there?

REFERENCES

[1] “Exoplanet discovered orbiting Proxima Centauri – Slate.

Astronomers discover a new planet orbiting the closest star  to the sun“  Phil Phait,  http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2016/08/24/

[2]  “What the new planet proxima b says about life in the universe”  faye Flam,  Bloomberg view. 08/27/2016.

http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/what-the-new-planet-proxima-b-says-about-life

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Gioietta Kuo, from Cambridge, Oxford and Princeton, is a research physicist specializing in energy problems.  She has published  over 100 articles in World Future Society, wfs.org, amcips.org and other worldwide think tanks.  As well as in ‘ People’s Daily’ and ‘World Environment’ , Magazine of the Chinese Ministry of Environmental  Protection, and others in China. She can be reached at <kuopet@comcast.net.>