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Judi Lynn

(162,379 posts)
Thu May 23, 2024, 11:05 PM May 2024

Scientists find Earth-like planet that could be home to alien life


Planet is the size of Venus and is likely to have a relatively cool atmosphere

Andrew Griffin
9 hours ago

Scientists have found a new Earth-like planet that could support alien life – just 40 light-years away.

The planet is a remarkable discovery in the search for habitable worlds: it is slightly smaller than the Earth, and thought to be just a little hotter. Many planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, tend to be much larger and hotter than our own world.

The newly discovered planet is called Gliese 12b and researchers say that even if we cannot find whether it is home to alien life then it will help in our search for other worlds that might be.

The planet planet orbits its host star every 12.8 days, and is comparable in size to Venus - so slightly smaller than Earth.

More:
https://www.independent.co.uk/space/planet-earth-venus-gliese-alien-b2550242.html
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Scientists find Earth-like planet that could be home to alien life (Original Post) Judi Lynn May 2024 OP
I thought Venus was slightly larger than Earth DavidDvorkin May 2024 #1
Not quite, Venus is smaller CloudWatcher May 2024 #2
A 12.8 day year ?? That puts it mighty close to its primary ... or a really small primary. eppur_se_muova May 2024 #3

CloudWatcher

(1,923 posts)
2. Not quite, Venus is smaller
Fri May 24, 2024, 04:27 PM
May 2024
[Venus] is nearly as big around as Earth. Its diameter at its equator is about 7,521 miles (12,104 kilometers), versus 7,926 miles (12,756 kilometers) for Earth.

From an excellent write-up of Venus including an amazing interactive globe of its surface:

Venus Facts - NASA Science

eppur_se_muova

(37,397 posts)
3. A 12.8 day year ?? That puts it mighty close to its primary ... or a really small primary.
Sun May 26, 2024, 12:30 AM
May 2024

Something about the name Gliese12 rang a bell -- it is a very nearby red dwarf, not visible to the naked eye.

Along with the planets of TRAPPIST-1, Gliese 12 b is one of the nearest known relatively temperate transiting exoplanets, and so is a promising target for the James Webb Space Telescope to determine whether it has retained an atmosphere.[7] Gliese 12 b orbits slightly closer than the inner edge of its star's habitable zone, with an insolation between those of Earth and Venus.[6] Its equilibrium temperature, assuming zero albedo, is 315 K (42 °C; 107 °F); if it has an atmosphere, the surface temperature would be greater than this.[5]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliese_12


A bit warm, but not completely incompatible with life, particularly with enough water.
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