New Earth with Conditions Suitable for People Found, Gets Star Similar to Sun, Its Name Released – Legit.ng
Global site navigationLocal editionsCHECK OUT: Don’t let unemployment hold you back. Start your digital marketing journey today.In a finding published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics recently, a ‘super-Earth’ planet was found outside of the solar system that could have conditions suitable for life. According to experts at the University of Oxford, the planet known as HD 20794 d has a mass six times greater than Earth’s and orbits within the ‘habitable zone’ of a star similar to the sun.Located 20 light-years away, scientists believe that HD 20794 d could be at an optimal distance from its nearest star to sustain water on its surface.Read alsoScientists give information about availability of water in “New World” after sending robot to MarsPAY ATTENTION: Follow us on Instagram – get the most important news directly in your favourite app!Dr Michael Cretignier, a postdoctoral research assistant at the university’s physics department, stated:However, the planet’s elliptical orbit, unlike Earth’s circular one, has raised uncertainty about its ability to host life.HD 20794 d was first identified by Dr Cretignier in 2022 after detecting a possible signal while analysing archived data from the High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher spectrograph at the La Silla Observatory in Chile. An international team of researchers then analysed two decades of observations to confirm the planet’s discovery.Read alsoAI, trade tensions to mark Barcelona mobile industry meetDr Cretignier added that HD 20794 d ‘could play a pivotal role in future missions’ aiming to ‘search for biosignatures indicating potential life’ on distant planets.The discovery of HD 20794 d, located 20 light-years away, has ignited scientific interest, with researchers eager to investigate its potential as an Earth-like world.A Nigerian astrophysicist, Promise Orolisen, spoke of critical factors that could determine whether the newly discovered exoplanet has the potential to support life.Read alsoTwo lunar landings in a week for NASA’s private Moon fleetAccording to the astrophysicist, several elements must align for the planet to be habitable. Orolisen also noted that the planet’s large mass – six times that of Earth – could have a significant impact on its environment. Extragalactic astrophysicist Myles Mckay also weighed in on the challenges of confirming whether the newly discovered exoplanet can support life.Noting the complexity of such studies, Mckay told Legit.ng: that confirming the possibility of life beyond Earth remained an enormous scientific challenge. Read alsoEngland allows wild beaver releases in ‘milestone’ for UK natureDespite this, Mckay acknowledged that some planets display promising features. Legit.ng earlier reported that NASA has confirmed the possibility that an asteroid named 2024 YR4 has a 1 in 43 chance, equating to a 2.3% probability of striking Earth in seven years.The asteroid, which was reported to have measured between 40 and 100 metres wide and was dubbed ‘the city destroyer,’ passed by Earth at 828,800 kilometres on Christmas 2024.David Rankin, an engineer with NASA’s Catalina Sky Survey Project listed potential impact sites on both land and the ocean if 2024 YR4 ended up on a collision course with the planet.Editorial assistant Ololade Olatimehin provided exclusive commentary from astrophysicists for this report. Read alsoNauru sells citizenship to fund climate change mitigationProofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.PAY ATTENTION: Сheck out news that is picked exactly for YOU ➡️ find the “Recommended for you” block on the home page and enjoy!Source: Legit.ng
Basit Jamiu (Current Affairs and Politics Editor)
Basit Jamiu is a journalist with more than five years of experience. He is a current affairs and politics editor at Legit.ng. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Ekiti State University (2018). Basit previously worked as a staff writer at Ikeja Bird (2022), Associate Editor at Prime Progress (2022), and Staff Writer at The Movee (2018). He is a 2024 Open Climate Fellow (West Africa), 2023 MTN Media Fellow, OCRP Fellow at ICIR, and Accountability Fellow at CJID. Email: basit.jamiu@corp.legit.ng.
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Source: https://www.legit.ng/world/1642915-new-earth-conditions-suitable-life-star-similar-sun-released/
