In "Earth analog" Proxima b, there may be a giant ocean
In "Earth analog" Proxima b, there may be a giant ocean
French planetary scientists discovered the existence of a liquid ocean background on Proxima Centauri b, a recently discovered planet-Earth twin. This may indicate the presence of life on the planet, they say in a paper published on arXiv.org resource.
There is water - so is life
Planetary scientists have calculated all possible radii of the nearest to the Earth twin, and presumably composition of its subsoil. What Proxima b is close to the star, does not rule out life on it. So, if there is water, it means that the planet is not too hot.
This planet liquid oceans may exist, and therefore some form of life.
Features Proxima Centauri b
Planet Earth is the closest counterpart - is located within the "habitable zone," the star, the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, at a distance of 4 light-years away from our planet. Its weight is 1.2 times greater than that of Earth.
Opened Proxima Centauri b experts European Southern Observatory in August 24, 2016. The existence of the planet have the analysis of historical data on the movement of Proxima Centauri.
Star system was investigated in the framework of the project "pale red dot" by the radial velocity. The presence of the object to orbit Proxima Centauri, in this case is confirmed by periodic displacement of the Doppler spectrum of the star. Data obtained spectrographs HARPS and UVES, allowed a group of scientists from Queen Mary University in London under the direction of Gillema Anglada-Escudo argue that the planet exists and it is similar to Earth.
Proxima Centauri b orbits the star at a distance that is 20 times less than the distance from Earth to the sun. At full turn planet spends almost menshe12 Earth days. Many planetary scientists thought that because of the proximity to Proxima Centauri, and aggressive impact on the atmosphere of flares on the surface of the star on the planet can not be a liquid ocean, and hence life.
However, Brugge and colleagues hypothesized that if the planet's radius is 0.9 from the ground, it will be similar to Mercury - the bowels tight, much of the weight - metallic core. But it is 0.05% of the mass of the planet may be water - in the world its about the same.
If the radius of Proxima Centauri is 1.4 b from the earth, its mineral wealth, conversely, loose. Then it is planet-ocean, which is half of weight - the water, the other half - a rocky core. In this case, the depth of the ocean on Proxima Centauri b is about 200 km.
In both cases, the planet's atmosphere is thin enough and is similar to Earth's
Similarly, to determine whether the ocean on Proxima Centauri b is, it will be possible only after obtaining the quality of the spectral data of the planet and the whole system. So far, scientists have not denied that the outbreak of the star and ultraviolet radiation can vaporize most of the ocean.
No comments