Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have discovered an Earth-like planet that is located near our solar system.
Future large telescopes should make this observation possible.
Munich - Astronomers have discovered an earth-like planet outside of our solar system, a so-called super-earth.
Since the planet may have retained part of its original atmosphere, it is ideal for observation with future large telescopes.
The planet orbits the red dwarf star Gliese 486, which is only 26 light years away, as the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) announced in Heidelberg on Thursday.
In the past two and a half decades, thousands of exoplanets, i.e. planets outside our solar system, have been discovered from gas, ice and rock.
However, only a few of them were Earth-like, according to astronomers.
Now the scientists hope to make great progress in the extremely difficult exploration of the atmosphere of the newly discovered planet.
Super Earth: Astronomers hope for new knowledge through large telescopes
The hope lies in the planned large telescopes of the coming generation, some of which are already under construction.
According to the information, the newly discovered planet with the designation Gliese 486b perfectly fulfills the requirements for rock planets for such observations.
MPIA planetary researcher Trifon Trifonov also confirms this: "" The proximity of this exoplanet is exciting because we can examine it more closely with powerful telescopes such as the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope and the future Extremely Large Telescopes "
Super-Earth "Gliese486b" is 30 percent larger than our home planet
According to the findings of astronomers, the exoplanet Gliese 486b has a similar composition to Venus and Earth - including a metallic core.
The gravitational pull on its surface is 70 percent stronger than that on earth.
The super-earth is 30 percent larger than our home planet and its mass is 2.8 times that of the earth.
Gliese 486b orbits its parent star on a circular orbit at a distance of 2.5 million kilometers within one and a half days.
It takes just as long to turn around its own axis, so that it always faces the same side of its star.
Although the star Gliese 486 is much fainter and cooler than the sun, it heats the surface of the super-earth to at least 430 degrees Celsius.
Super-Earth Gliese486b not habitable despite earth-like structures
Although the star Gliese 486 is much fainter and cooler than the sun, it heats the surface of the super-earth to at least 430 degrees Celsius.
Gliese 486b could thus resemble Venus and have a hot, dry landscape traversed by glowing lava flows.
In contrast to Venus, Gliese 486b may only have a thin atmosphere - if at all.
(ks / afp)
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