Potentially Habitable 'Super-Earths' Found Orbiting around Sun's near Neighbor

The two worlds at the edges of star Tau Ceti's "habitable zone" are part of a system of planets that are similar in size to our own. That is a breakthrough because it suggests that we might soon be able to find other planets that are habitable like our own Earth.

Two planets that orbit around a star like our own sun could support life. Image credit: tasnimnews.com (CC BY 4.0)

The proximity of the planets and their similarity to Earth mean that they could eventually be a home for humans, according to the astronomers from the University of Hertfordshire. But doing so might be a risky expedition.

The star appears to be circled by a huge disc of debris, which could suggest the worlds are being regularly hit by asteroids and comets.

Astronomers are especially excited by the discovery because the planets are as small as 1.7 times our size. That makes them the smallest worlds ever found around a star like our own sun, and has knock-on effects for the search for other planets like ours.

Sun-like stars hold out the best hope of finding planets beyond the solar system that host life. Tau Ceti, a favorite destination of science fiction writers, is very similar to the sun both in size and brightness.

Like the sun, it has a "habitable zone", a narrow region around it where conditions are favorable for Earth-like life.

Within the habitable, or "Goldilocks" zone, temperatures are not too hot or too cold but just right for surface water to exist as a liquid. A habitable zone planet could have oceans, lakes and rivers.

Neither of Tau Ceti's "super-Earths" lie in the center of its habitable zone. One orbits on the inner border and the other on the outer. The Earth is situated halfway between the middle of the sun's habitable zone and its inner boundary. (Tasnim News Agency)

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE

Common Ingredient in Toothpaste Puts Women at Risk of Bone Disease

A study indicated that a chemical used in some toothpastes, soaps and antibacterial products puts women at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis.

Longer cooling, lower temperature no improvement for infant oxygen deprivation

The standard treatment for newborns whose brains were deprived of oxygen appears to work better than proposed alternatives, according to a new study.

Our brains appear uniquely tuned for musical pitch

Results of study involving primates suggest that speech and music may have shaped the human brain’s hearing circuits.

Supermassive Black Holes Feed on Cosmic Jellyfish

Observations of “Jellyfish galaxies” with ESO’s Very Large Telescope have revealed a previously unknown way to fuel supermassive black holes.

Ancient defence strategy continues to protect plants from pathogens

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have uncovered striking similarities in how two distantly related plants defend themselves against pathogens despite splitting from their common ancestor more than 400 million years ago.

Striped maple trees often change mating types, with females more likely to die

More than 90 percent of flowering plant species combine male and female characteristics in one plant. In the less than 10 percent where female and male flowers exist on separate plants, they typically remain female or male throughout their lifetimes. But it isn’t always that simple.