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| Image: DevainArt |
So far, scientists have discovered many planets that could potentially support life like Earth. But, all of them are located thousands of light-years away. However, on November 21, 2011, the planet "GLIESE 667Cc", also known as a super-Earth, was discovered using the HARPS-N instrument at the European Southern Observatory. This planet is considered to be the most Earth-like and potentially habitable planet found so far, and it is the closest one to our solar system. It is located 22.18 light-years away from Earth.
That means, even if you travel at the speed of light, it would take 22.18 years to reach this planet. The planet's star is named GLIESE 667C. This star is a star in a Triple star system.
Almost six planets are orbiting this star. Out of these six planets, three planets namely GLIESE 667Cc, GLIESE 667Cf and GLIESE 667Ce are in the habitable zone, which has the temperature suitable for life. Of these, GLIESE 667Cc is considered the most likely planet to host life. Its radius is 1.8 times that of Earth. The planet takes 28 days to completely orbit its star.
Before knowing about this planet, let us know some information about its star.
GLIESE 667C :-
It is a red dwarf star. Therefore, this star emits less heat than our Sun. Its mass is only 31% of that of our Sun. Its luminosity is only 1.4% of the Sun's luminosity. This star is a part of a "Triple star system" consisting of 3 stars. The other two stars are orange dwarf stars.
The star GLIESE 667C orbits two other stars at a distance ranging from 8 to 32 billion kilometers.
GLIESE 667Cc:-
The orbit of this planet is 8 times smaller than Earth's orbit. It orbits its star at a distance of approximately 18.5 million kilometers. The amount of energy this planet receives from its star is the same as the amount of energy Earth receives from the Sun. Like Earth, this planet is a rocky planet. The size of the star visible from this planet would appear three times larger than the size of the Sun visible from our planet.
The mass of this planet is 4.5 times greater than Earth's mass. It is considered potentially habitable due to its atmosphere, which is similar to Earth's atmosphere. Scientists believe that water is more likely to exist in liquid form here. The surface temperature of this planet ranges from -36°C to 10°C.
This planet is also known by the names GJ667Cc, HR6426Cc, and HD156384Cc.
defects:-
The three planets GLIESE 667Cc, GLIESE 667Cf and GLIESE 667Ce do not orbit the Sun like Earth does. They are tidally locked.
One side of these planets will always face the star, while the other side will be opposite to the star. (Like the green-colored planet shown in the image below). Therefore, only one side of these planets receives sunlight, while the other side remains in darkness. Life cannot exist in these dark regions.
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| Image: wikimedia commons |
The temperature in this region is very low (-36°C) and in another region it is very high (10°C). Therefore, only The terminator line, which is the middle of these two regions, can have temperatures suitable for life. The average temperature at the Earth's surface is 15°C.
Perhaps, if the planet had a thick enough atmosphere to transfer heat to its dark side, not just the Terminator line, but many parts of it would be habitable.