Super-Earth on 'edge of habitability'


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Planet-hunters say they've developed a relatively simple method for determining how livable a faraway world might be, and they've used the formula to identify a top candidate: a super-Earth that's 36 light-years away.

The research paper was submitted to the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics just two weeks ago, but it's quickly making the rounds among those who follow the accelerating search for planets beyond our solar system. The big reason for all the interest is that the paper points to a new prospect for the short list of potentially habitable planets: HD 85512 b, a world that's at least 3.6 times as massive as Earth, circling an orange star in the constellation Vela.

The authors ? Lisa Kaltenegger of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Stephane Udry and Francesco Pepe of the University of Geneva ? rank the extrasolar planet right up there with Gliese 581d, a prime prospect for habitability that is 20 light-years from Earth. "HD 85512 b is, with Gl 581d, the best candidate for exploring habitability to date, a planet on the edge of habitability," they say.

"As to whether it is really habitable, we?ll need a spectrum to tell that ? direct imaging would be the ticket. With a direct imaging mission we could detect if it looks habitable. We could detect clouds if we had a big enough telescope in space."

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^ If the planet is 36 light-years away, how close can the Webb telescope bring it ? How good of an image ?

.... optimized for observations in the infrared.

Doesn't sound like JWT will be much help.

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to get direct imaging of the planet would take half a century or more at best with current technology :(

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This planet is probably tidally locked - one side always facing its sun. This would mean a very hot side, a freezing side, and perhaps a habitable zone along the terminator (dividing line.)

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This plqnet is probably tidally locked - one side always facing its sun. This would mean a very hot side, a freezing side, and perhaps a habitable zone along the terminator (dividing line.)

Sounds exciting! Sign me up!

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