Known as Ross 128b, the
newly discovered planet orbits
a life-friendly red dwarf star that
is an estimated seven billion
years old. Red dwarfs are the most
common stars in the galaxy,
making up about 70 percent of
all known stars, and tend to
hold water-friendly planets in
their orbit. What this means is these planets are likely to have
an atmosphere and possibly
support life. There’s been an explosion in the discovery of potentially
habitable worlds in the last few
years orbiting these red dwarf
stars — in fact, a recent study suggests there may be as
many as 60 billion planets in the
habitable zone of these red
dwarf solar systems out there.
The exciting thing about Ross
128b is just how close it is to our own world. Some readers may recall
there’s an even closer Earth-
sized planet to us that is a mere
4.25 light years away, called
Proxima Centauri. However, it’s
not likely to be a place for humans to live as it orbits a
much younger, more powerful
red dwarf star that is likely
roasting the planet into an
inferno. Ross 128b has a few things
going for it that make it a much
better candidate to support
human life. For one, it has a
consistent wobble in its rotation.
It also orbits an older star that has probably settled down
somewhat. A computer
simulation also suggests it
might have built up clouds to
keep water from evaporating on
its surface, giving it a better chance at hosting an
atmosphere that could support
life. The scientists who discovered
the planet tell National Geographic, which first reported the news, that they’ll
need more data going forward.
For now, the team will be
searching for other nearby
planets just like Ross 128b
within a distance of 16 light years away.