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Could Our Next Home Be Just 4 Light Years Away? Astronomers find Proxima b Showing Promising Signs!
Astrological breakthrough suggests Proxima b, our celestial neighbor, may be more than just a dry rock in space. New findings indicate vast oceans could exist, potentially supporting life.
Updated Jun 12, 2023 | 06:07 PM IST
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KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Proxima b, our stellar neighbor, may hold the key to interstellar life, boasting potential vast oceans.
- Groundbreaking climate simulations put Proxima b back in the habitability race with a dynamic, significant ocean.
- The cosmic seesaw of Proxima b's habitability tips toward optimism as new research suggests oceans could cover vast areas of the exoplanet.
Astronomers are making waves with their recent findings on Proxima b - a 'highly habitable' exoplanet just a hop, skip, and a 4.2 light-year jump from Earth. Scientists believe this distant neighbor could be making serious splashes in the universe, boasting conditions suitable for sustaining oceans of liquid water.
Diving Deep into Proxima b's Potentials
Since its discovery, Proxima b has been the subject of numerous studies, its potential for habitability volleying between high hopes and sharp letdowns. This cosmic boomerang is about 1.3 times the mass of our Earth and orbits a red dwarf star with an eerily similar age to our sun.
However, recent breakthrough research has refueled the optimism for life on Proxima b. New simulations suggest this exoplanet could house a considerable expanse of liquid water, given the right conditions, according to NASA's planetary scientist, Anthony Del Genio.
Dynamic Oceans: The Game-Changer
The latest research published in the Astrobiology journal provides first-ever climate simulations of Proxima b with a dynamic ocean. The exoplanet, believed to be tidally locked with its star Proxima Centauri, boasts a permanent 'dayside' and a 'nightside'.
While any water on the chilly nightside is likely to be frozen, the dayside could be a different story. The groundbreaking simulations show that Proxima b's moving ocean could cover a significant area, even seeping into parts of the nightside.
Simulations also considered varying salinity levels and atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, both impacting the size of the liquid regions. While further research is needed, it's safe to say that the idea of an oceanic Proxima b is no longer a distant tide in the scientific community.
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