Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone

Astronomers from the University of California, Irvine have made an exciting discovery that brings new hope to the search for life beyond Earth. They have identified a planet that orbits within the "habitable zone" of its star - a region where temperatures may allow liquid water to exist. Since water is essential for life as we know it, this finding raises the possibility that the planet might have life-supporting conditions, reported SciTech Daily.

This newly discovered planet, located in a nearby part of the Milky Way Galaxy, appears rocky, similar in size to Earth, but weighs many times more than Earth. This is why scientists call it a "super-Earth."

Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.

According to Paul Robertson, associate professor of physics and astronomy at UC Irvine, discovering new exoplanets is common these days, but this planet is special because its star is located very close to us-about 18 light-years away. He said that in cosmic terms, this distance is almost like being in the neighbourhood.

The planet GJ 251 c orbits an M-dwarf star. These stars are among the most common and ancient stars in the Milky Way. Such stars often experience intense activity, including starspots and flares. Sometimes these activities resemble the signals astronomers use to find planets, making it difficult to distinguish between real and false signals.

Despite these technical challenges, GJ 251 c's small distance makes it a promising candidate for future direct imaging. The University of California's Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) could be powerful enough to take clear images of such faint exoplanets and confirm the possible presence of water.

According to Corey Beard, lead author of the study, the TMT will have the capability to directly image planets like GJ 251 c, which is not possible with smaller telescopes.

Data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID were used to discover this exoplanet. These instruments detect very slight changes in a star's light caused by the gravitational pull exerted by a nearby planet.

When GJ 251 c exerts gravitational force on its star, small, regular variations in the star's light are visible. The HPF recorded these weak signals, called radial velocity signatures, and this is how the planet was identified.

The HPF is particularly useful for studying M-dwarf stars because it observes in the infrared region, where the effects of stellar activity are less visible.

The team believes their computational models are robust enough to consider GJ 251 c a true exoplanet, although they acknowledge that final confirmation will require direct imaging in the future.

Beard said the evidence is strong, but some uncertainty remains due to the limitations of current instruments. He also said that next-generation telescopes and the cooperation of the scientific community are essential to fully understand this planet.

Both Beard and Robertson hope their study will inspire exoplanet researchers to do more work on GJ 251 c, as scientists prepare for the Thirty Meter Telescope's advanced capabilities.