New possibly habitable exoplanet found in the depths of space

New possibly habitable exoplanet found in the depths of space
# 30 November 2017 02:31 (UTC +04:00)

Astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered a small exoplanet located approximately 11 light years away from the Solar system, which may sustain life, APA reports quoting sputniknews.

Those who hope to one day discover the presence extraterrestrial life in the vastness of space, or perhaps a habitable planet where humanity could relocate if Earth gets wiped out by some massive catastrophe, may find their spirits lifted by a new astronomical discovery.

Using a 3.6-meter telescope at La Silla Observatory, fitted with High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) spectrograph, ESO astronomers have located an exoplanet called Ross 128b which orbits a star located about 11 light years away from Solar system.

Rodrigo Diaz, an Argentinian scientist working on the team, told Sputnik Mundo that Ross 128b was identified a while ago, but it took considerable time to determine the planet’s exact position.

"The star is a little weaker and smaller than the Sun. The novelty of this discovery is the presence of an object in this star’s orbit with a mass estimate 1.4 times that of the Earth, which makes it possible for liquid water to be present on the surface," Diaz explained.

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