Continuing the search for extraterrestrial life, scientists have discovered a new planet that may be habitable and capable of supporting human life. A recent study, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on Thursday (May 23), introduced Gliese 12 b. The researchers described it as “the nearest, transiting temperate, Earth-sized planet found to date.” The discovery was made by an international team of scientists using NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Gliese 12 b is slightly smaller than Earth and orbits a small, cool red dwarf star
According to scientists, Gliese 12 b is one of the few rocky planets with the potential to support human life. The planet is just 40 light-years from Earth, making it the closest such planet discovered so far.
“The majorly interesting thing is that this is a planet that’s really nearby; in fact, it’s one of the closest transiting planets to Earth,” said Larissa Palethorpe, a scientist from the University College of London and part of the team, in an interview with Space.com. “It’s either in the habitable zone of its star or it is right on the edge of it — so, it could be habitable,” she added.
Gliese 12 b is slightly smaller than Earth and orbits a small, cool red dwarf star. Despite its orbit being only 7 percent of the distance between the sun and Earth, it remains in the habitable zone of its star system. This habitable zone, known as the “Goldilocks Zone,” is a region around a star that is neither too cold nor too hot for liquid water to exist, which is essential for life.
The exoplanet also shares similarities with Venus, often called Earth’s “twin” due to their similarities. “To find it to be such a similar size to Earth was kind of a lovely surprise. So that was a really nice thing to be able to nail down, but I think especially knowing that, in terms of habitability, it could lie between Earth and Venus, is really exciting,” Palethorpe said.
Scientists noted that Gliese 12 b receives about 1.6 times more heat from its star compared to the energy Earth gets from the sun. The average surface temperature of Gliese 12 b is estimated to be only 50°F warmer than Earth’s. While Earth and Venus are within the sun’s habitable zone, Earth can support life with a favorable atmosphere, whereas Venus is inhospitable. Studying Gliese 12 b could help scientists understand why there is a difference between the two.
