Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Astronomers find three new Earth-sized exoplanets in the same solar system

It's exciting news for alien hunters.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
June 11, 2018
in News, Space

Spanish researchers have found not one but three alien planets that are roughly the size of Earth. The similarities might end here, however, since the exoplanets are orbiting toasty close to their parent star.

Illustration of an exoplanet. Credit: NASA.
Illustration of an exoplanet. Credit: NASA.

There’s only one place in the universe we know for sure life exists: Earth. Absent any other evidence, our safest bet for finding carbon-based life outside this planet is to look for characteristics that mirror conditions on Earth. The most important ones would be orbiting a star at just the right distance in order to allow liquid water to form at the surface, having an atmosphere and magnetic field that shields life from radiation, and having energy sources to sustain metabolism. We don’t know this for sure, but a planet’s size may also be important, which is why the latest announcements by researchers at the Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and the University of Oviedo are so exciting.

The new exoplanets were discovered by the K2 mission of NASA’s Kepler satellite using the transit method, which involves measuring the minute dimming of a distant star as a planet passes in front of it. According to the Spanish astronomers, the newly identified planets orbit a red dwarf star called K2-239, located about 160 light-years away from Earth, in the constellation Sextans.

The most interesting part about this system is the fact that three of its rocky planets are remarkably similar in size to Earth. Specifically, their size is within 1.1, 1.0 and 1.1 times Earth’s radius, respectively. The system also contains two super-Earths, which are both roughly twice Earth’s size.

However, astronomers haven’t set their hopes high for the habitability of these planets, which all orbit dangerously close to K2-239. The three planets orbit their star every 5.2, 7.8 and 10.1 days. While it’s also true that a red dwarf is far less bright than the sun, which is classed as a yellow dwarf star, the close proximity suggests these planets’ surface is at least a couple tens of degrees warmer than on Earth.

Astronomers also don’t have much other information about these planets, such as their atmospheric composition. That’s a job for the upcoming James Webb space telescope, the $8.8-billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, which is expected to launch in 2020 — hopefully, if it’s not delayed once more. Meanwhile, observations performed with the Very Large Telescope (VLT), of the European Southern Observatory (ESO), will prove valuable in establishing the masses, densities, and other physical characteristics of the three planets.

The findings appeared in the journal Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (arXiv).

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. “π Earth”: Astronomers discover Earth-sized planet that takes 3.14 days to orbit its star
  2. Three ‘super-Earth’ exoplanets seen orbiting nearby star – one in Habitable Zone
  3. NASA finds 7 Earth-sized planets in a star nearby. Three are in the habitable zone
  4. TESS telescope discovers three intriguing close-by exoplanets
  5. Not one, but two yet to be confirmed Earth-sized planets could orbit in the outer solar system

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW