In a discovery that has been years in the making, researchers

have confirmed the existence of a rocky planet named Proxima

b orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun,
according to a new study. It is the closest exoplanet to us in the
universe.
Given the fact that Proxima b is within the habitable zone of its
star, meaning liquid water could exist on the surface, it may
also be the closest possible home for life outside of our solar
system, the researchers said.

Proxima b
Proxima Centauri b (also called Proxima b[8][9] or Alpha Centauri Cb) is
an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of the closest star to
the Sunthe red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, which is in a triple star
system.[10][11] It is located about 4.2 light-years (1.3 parsecs, 40
trillion km, or 25 trillion miles) from Earth in the constellation
of Centaurus, making it the closest known exoplanet to the Solar
System.

Proxima Centauri b orbits the star at a distance of roughly 0.05 AU

(7,500,000 km; 4,600,000 mi) with an orbital period of approximately
11.2 Earth days, and has an estimated mass of at least 1.3 times that of
the Earth. Its habitability has not been established, though it is unlikely
to be habitable since the planet is subject to stellar wind pressures of
more than 2,000 times those experienced by Earth from the solar
wind.[12][13][14]

The discovery of the planet was announced in August 2016 by

the European Southern Observatory.[1][10] The planet was found using
the radial velocity method, where periodic Doppler shifts of spectral
lines of the host star suggest an orbiting object. From these readings,
the radial velocity of the parent star relative to the Earth is varying with
an amplitude of about 2 metres (7 feet) per second.[1] According
to Guillem AngladaEscud, its proximity to Earth offers an opportunity
for robotic exploration of the planet with
the Starshot project[10][11] or, at least, "in the coming centuries".[11]

Given the proximity to its star, Proxima b is also subject to less pleasant
factors like ultraviolet and X-ray flares that are 100 times the intensity
of what Earth receives from the sun. In the paper, researchers
estimated it to be 400 times the intensity, but recent research has
caused them to create a new estimate, they said. If there is life on the
planet, it would be affected by this radiation, but it is pure speculation
as to what kind of effect.
Proxima Centauri is a low-mass red dwarf star, known as
an M-class dwarf, that happens to be close to the bright
binary star Alpha Centauri AB, which outshines its cool
stepbrother, so to speak. All of these stars are within the faint
Centaurus constellation, which can't be seen with the unaided
eye.

Taking a closer look at new Earth-like planets for the first time

M-class dwarves are not well understood in comparison with other

types of stars, Reiners said. Because of that, researchers don't
know much about the history of these stars or their radiation in the
early days.
"But within the field of exoplants, [researchers] have recently
realized that looking for planets around M dwarves is what is
going to be the most spectacular, because you can find these
plants in the liquid water zone more easily than other stars,"
Reiners said.
Because it's an active star, Proxima Centauri can behave in
varied ways that mimic the presence of a planet, according to the
study. Researchers wanted to observe it for a long period of time,
so for the first half of this year, telescopes around the world were
pointed at Proxima Centauri. The researchers looked for a
"Doppler wobble," or back and forth wobble of Proxima Centauri
that would be caused by the gravitational pull of a planet in orbit.
This was combined with research, data and published studies of
Proxima Centauri dating to 2000.
Because Proxima b exists outside our solar system, it doesn't
change our well-known roster of planets (and we know some of
you are still rather upset over Pluto). But it does add to the field of
exoplanet research that's underway, some of which hopes to
identify Earth-like planets that future telescopes, such as the
James Webb Space Telescope and the European Extremely
Large Telescope, can use for observation.
Many researchers hope that we can actually image these planets
in the future, getting an idea of their atmospheric makeup and
surface composition, and strive to answer the question of "Are we
alone in the universe?"
"We know that there are terrestrial planets around stars. The
excitement is because it's the nearest one, and we expect to
characterize it and maybe visit in a couple of centuries," Anglada-
Escud said.
 HARD COPY

IN

SCIENCE 2
(ASTRONOMY)

SUBMITTED BY:DYVINE F.DIVINAGRACIA

SUBMITTED TO: Dr. EMERITA R. RELLEVE