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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Planet that could host life found

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LONDON: Astronomers have discovered an Earth-sized planet outside our solar system which is expected to be temperate and could be a “comfortable abode for possible life”.


This Earth-sized world, named Ross 128 b, is likely to have a surface temperature that may also be close to that of the Earth, according to a paper presented in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. The low-mass exoplanet orbits the red dwarf star Ross 128 every 9.9 days.


The star is currently located at a distance of 11 light-years from Earth. Many red dwarf stars, including Proxima Centauri, are subject to flares that occasionally bathe their orbiting planets in deadly ultraviolet and X-ray radiation. However, it seems that Ross 128 is a much quieter star, and so its planets may be the closest known comfortable abode for possible life, the study said. The team found that Ross 128 b orbits 20 times closer than the Earth orbits the Sun. — IANS


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