Proxima Centauri - Possible Earth like planet found

There is information coming in that our closest star neighbor, Proxima Centauri, may have a potentially habitable, Earth like planet orbiting this red dwarf.


Proxima Centauri in relative terms is a literal hop skip and jump away at 4.25 light years. While this may be difficult to get to in a reasonable amount time with 20th century tech, technologies like Hawking's solar sail could make this a very real opportunity for exploration.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) may announce the discovery of a new Earth-like exoplanet at the end of the month, according to the German publication Der Spiegel. The planet would be the closest Earth-like exoplanet in the Goldilocks Zone ever discovered, a mere 4.25 light years from Earth.

Combined with the upcoming James Webb telescope, if this planet exists, we will almost certainly be making it our main priority for extra solar exploration.

The planet reportedly orbits in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf that's around the size of Jupiter. As its name suggests, it is also very very close to the Alpha Centauri star system (Proxima is circled in red in the image above), and likely is part of a triple star system with Alpha Centuri A and B. It's possible, Der Spiegel notes, that the planet could have surface water.

The European Southern Observatory is set to announce info on this later this month, and could very well be one of the most ground breaking discoveries of our time.





www.popularmechanics.com...

a reply to: OneGoal

Even more interesting is it should be close enough for James web so we can get coronagraphy from thr planet allowing us to see its atmoshpere. Using that you can get a good idea if the planet has life. Or minimum capable of it depending on readings.

a reply to: dragonridr

Bingo. The james webb scope will certainly be pointed in the direction of this planet and what you mentioned is dead on. Cant wait.

So this was where the ship in "event horizon" went when it visited Hell. I can see this going well.

originally posted by: Mr Headshot
So this was where the ship in "event horizon" went when it visited Hell. I can see this going well.

"Ave Atque Vale" - Captain John Kilpack of the Event Horizon

a reply to: Mr Headshot

In the Doom series its Mars that has a portal to hell, but you bring up a valid point: space exploration aint gonna always be pretty.

It would be nice for civilization to have an attainable goal in this regard.

This is incredible can't wait for more info.


Great post!

Yeah, the Jupiter Two got lost trying to get over there to meet the inhabitants of Alpha Centauri. If they send another one over there, they better make sure there isn't a stow-away on board. If they find one, they should eject them before it gets out of hand again. Strange how they found alien life everywhere they went while they were lost, but didn't bother to study any of it, guess that was outside of their primary mission.

a reply to: OneGoal

We possibly already have the technology to send an unmanned probe toward the system in question. Might take 40-100 years to get there and send back a signal but if there are signs of an exoplanet that could support life, imho, humanity should get right on it as soon as is technologically possible. Fact is we have had all our eggs in one basket for far to long.

a reply to: andy06shake

Starshot - 20 years if it is proven it works

Right now our best proven tech is 20,000 years to get there.

a reply to: andy06shake

There's an interesting project called Breakthrough Starshot attracting interest from the likes of Stephen Hawking, Ann Druyan, and Mark Zuckerberg. It would use a tiny satellite (small enough to fit between two fingers), a large reflective sail, and a giant array of lasers. The Earth-based lasers would focus their beams on the sail and accelerate the craft up to speeds of as much as 20% of the speed of light. Such a craft could reach Proxima Centauri in about 20 years.

The catch, of course, is that none of this technology quite exists yet. However, in the past decade or so, there have been huge advances in both small spacecraft like cubesats, several experiments with sail-powered spacecraft, and in lasers. All of the bits and pieces need to advance to make a mission like this one possible, but the bits and pieces do all exist.

a reply to: PhloydPhan

Haha I just mentioned that.

originally posted by: Mr Headshot
So this was where the ship in "event horizon" went when it visited Hell. I can see this going well.

LOL. Great movie. My brother and I saw it in the theater when it came it out, what? Twenty years ago?

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

I imagine any probes we decide to launch to another star system will employ some form of off the shelf technology. Possibly an Ion drive rather more efficient than our current models, and that can reach a significant percentage of the speed of light may suffice for exploration purposes.

As to any Maned flight or colonization, the Alcubierre drive concept seems to offer some hope. Need to be able to generate a hell of a lot of energy, and/or work out how to produce negative matter all the same.

Who knows what we are really capable of achieving propulsion wise through? Once we find a viable target we may just find out.

en.wikipedia.org...

a reply to: PhloydPhan

Project Orion suggests a possible journey time of 50-100 years to proxima centauri using nuclear propulsion(atomic explosions) combined with a pusher plate/shield. The idea through while technically viable even back in the 1960s seems laced with dangers known and unknown. The real problem with any such ship or probe is collision with debris while traveling at a significant percentage of light speed. Its not like you can just move out the way. Even detection of such debris would be almost impossible at such speeds.

a reply to: andy06shake

There is no off the shelf tech. We need to invent it. We are close though.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Oh im sure there are rather a few off the shelf type technologies that TPTB feel humanity is not yet ready to utilize or would destroy ourselves with lying around at numerous different black sites around the planet. Just look at the black budget say the US government has, it cant all be being spent on fighting terrorism.

Some people claim technology is any where from 50-100 years in advance of what we now have at our disposal. The singularity may only be 25-50 years distant, after that we learn at a near exponential rate.

Point is who knows what our real capability's are considering the duplicit nature of our species and governments.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Oh im sure there are rather a few off the shelf type technologies that TPTB feel humanity is not yet ready to utilize or would destroy ourselves with lying around at numerous different black sites around the planet. Just look at the black budget say the US government has, it cant all be being spent on fighting terrorism.

Some people claim technology is any where from 50-100 years in advance of what we now have at our disposal. The singularity may only be 25-50 years distant, after that we learn at a near exponential rate.

Point is who knows what our real capability's are considering the duplicit nature of our species and governments.

SOME tech is advanced, not all, I think this is one that is not. No reason for this tech to exist for the military.

a reply to: OccamsRazor04

Correction, no reason for this tech to exist for the military that we know of.

Im not suggesting TR-3B Astra's or such but i think "They" may know a thing or two about gravity and/or mass cancellation that they are not letting on about.

The implication of such technology would allow us to build significant sized affordable structures and vehicles in low earth orbit. Which would be a start in the right direction.