Super-earth in The Habitable Zone of Nearby Stars

Super-Earth in the habitable zone of nearby stars.

Relatively cool star near the Sun orbits the planet about five times more massive than Earth. The track, which allows the surface of the liquid water persisted. This is not the best candidate for the water world – and maybe even life. Announced that sedmnásťčlenný international team led by Guillem Anglada-Escude and Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington (USA).

In addition to Americans in the team scientists from Germany, Chile, the Vatican, Australia and Great Britain. The discovery of the one component trojhviezdy Gliese 667 (GJ 667), designated GJ 667C. It lies about 22 light years from the Sun. (1 light year = 9,460,000,000,000 kilometers).

It’s cold and red low-mass star, containing a low percentage of heavy elements. Thus, according to astronomical usage, all elements except hydrogen and helium. “The rest” three stars is slightly more massive pair of orange stars, GJ GJ 667A and 667B. They comprise about a quarter of the amount of heavy elements present in the sun.

The discovery means that potentially habitable planets can form in a broad range of environmental conditions of space than previously thought. It was born on observations obtained at European Southern Observatory in Chile, Las Campanas Observatory in Chile and also the Keck Observatory in Hawaii. In the case of GJ 667C was recently revealed that she once every 7.2 day orbit the planet, which also belongs to the category of super-Earths (from about twice to ten times that of Earth).

Although this discovery has not yet been formally published, the planet was named GJ 667Cb. Orbits is too close to the parent star, so prihorúca to the Living. Another super-Earth team members actually occurred when the properties of GJ 667Cb been revised. Newly discovered super-Earth GJ 667Cc marked, it takes over a circulation of 28.15 days. From its star gets about 90 percent of the amount of light as the Earth receives from the sun. Unlike the case of Earth, most of the light in the form of infrared radiation. GJ 667Cc who weighs at least 4.5 that of Earth, could therefore be compared with the Earth to absorb a higher proportion of incoming radiation.

In summary, this means that the energy balance 667Cc GJ and Earth are roughly the same. On the surface, GJ 667Cc would be similar to temperatures as prevail on earth. So, too, allowing long-term existence of liquid water.

“This newly discovered planet is so far the best candidate for the environment with liquid water and perhaps life as we know it,” said Guillem Anglada-Escude. The system of the star GJ 667C may in addition contain a gas giant planet of our type Jupietara and – what is particularly interesting – even a super-Earth orbit with a period of 75 days. The article comes out soon in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.