Science and Technology Facilities Council
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New Earth-like planet found orbiting nearest star

Scientists now have clear evidence of an ‘Earth-like’ planet, with the potential to support surface water and life, orbiting the closest star to our Solar System.

‘Proxima b’ is a rocky planet that is more massive than Earth and revolves around its parent star every eleven days. Its condition, and its positioning in the habitable zone around Proxima Centrauri, which is the star closest to our Sun, means that liquid water and life could exist on its surface.

The results from an international team led by UK astronomers who received funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council are published in the journal Nature (25 August 2016) and feature on the front cover. The work was carried out using European Southern Observatory facilities as well as other telescopes.

Proxima b which is 4.2 light years away (about 25.2 trillion miles) has excited scientists because it may also be the closest possible home for life outside of our Solar System.

Lead author and coordinator of the project, Dr Guillem Anglada-Escudé from Queen Mary University of London’s School of Physics and Astronomy, said:

“Succeeding in the search for the nearest terrestrial planet beyond the Solar system has been an experience of a lifetime, and has drawn on the dedication and passion of a number of international researchers. We hope these findings inspire future generations to keep looking beyond the stars. The search for life on Proxima b comes next."

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Channel website: http://www.stfc.ac.uk/

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