Alien life could exist on Ross 128 b, a newly discovered exoplanet located only 11 light-years from Earth, scientists speculate in a paper to be published in the Astronomy and Astrophysics journal.
Scientists believe the planet is similar to Earth in size and temperature and could offer favorable conditions to host life, CNN reported.
According to the paper, Ross 128 b is the second closest planet to be found to the solar system and the closest planet discovered to be orbiting an inactive red dwarf star, completing its cycle every 9.9 days.
A team of astronomers found the exoplanet using the European Southern Observatory's (ESO) High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS).
The planet-hunting device is located at the La Silla Observatory in Chile and allowed the team to record essential data on Ross 128 b.
Co-author of the discovery paper, Nicola Astudillo-Defru of Geneva Observatory at the University of Geneva, Switzerland, said in a statement that the discovery comes after over a decade of monitoring.
By using the HARPS device along with state-of-the-art data reduction and analysis techniques, scientists were able to discover the planet.
“Only HARPS has demonstrated such a precision and it remains the best planet hunter of its kind, 15 years after it began operations,” said Astudillo-Defru.
The team believes that temperatures on Ross 128 b range between -76 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit, Newsweek noted, although they were unsure how long liquid water could last on the planet’s surface.
This would ultimately determine how habitable Ross 128 b is.
Researchers will continue to monitor the planet and are hoping that, with the use of ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), they can detect biomarkers such as oxygen.
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