Earth-Sized Alien Planet Found Around the Stars Next Door

 
It seems these days that there are exoplanets discovered almost every week with a "super-Earths", "Hot Jupiters" and "cold Neptunes" star around the neck of our Galaxy within the system (or at least strong As announced candidate) are identified. Above all, today announced that the European Southern Observatory world land mass has been found to Alpha Centauri B Class - ". Stars next door," so literally


ESO 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory HARPS instrument (high accuracy radial velocity planet search) using, researchers Alpha Centauri B, in one of a pair of sun-like stars in orbit around a planet earth. Alpha Centauri binary system is widely recognized.

Alpha Centauri DIGITIZED Sky Survey 2 wide field of view photography. (ESO / DIGITIZED Sky Survey 2 Acknowledgement: Davide De Martin)

4.36 light years away in the Centaurus group, Alpha Centauri A and B (as well as smaller, dimmer star as Proxima Centauri), the closest stars to our solar system are known. The Alpha Centauri system, the magnitudes of the third brightest star in the night sky are made of.

Discover the new world is not only closer, but also lightest ever discovered around a star like the sun exoplanet. The estimated minimum mass of the earth is only a little more.

The planet hunting Kepler, Spitzer and JWST outshined mission is not about finding HARPS NASA has issued a statement on October 17.

Dr. John Grunsfeld, NASA's associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, said: "This exciting new exoplanet discovered to congratulate the European Southern Observatory team,".member. many current and future NASA missions, which will continue the search. "

Interesting news, yes, but it's a "eureka" moment, not yet: a planet orbits very close to its star than the habitable zone occur within. Alpha Centauri B by only 6 million kilometers (3.7 million miles) less likely it is a hot spot, about 10 times closer than Mercury is to the sun being. It is very close, in fact, the entire "year" is only 3.2 days long.

However, these results form the most ever HARPS, the planets orbit the star a little "wobble" of measures obtained by using precision performance.

"Geneva Observatory in Switzerland Dumusque the lead author Xavier and Centro DE Astrofisica said:" We observed more than four using the HARPS instrument and every 3.2 days during the year extended from planet Alpha Centauri B Class A minor C, but the real signal, revealed da Universidade do Porto, Portugal. "This is an extraordinary discovery pushed the limits of our technique is!"