In this six-minute ESOcast video astronomers discuss the newly discovered Proxima b and the possibility of life outside our solar system.
The Pale Red Dot campaign aimed to find a planet orbiting our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri. Incredibly, the quest succeeded and the team did indeed find a planet. Even more excitingly, the planet, Proxima b, falls within the habitable zone of its host star. The newly discovered Proxima b is by far the closest potential abode for alien life.
In this ESOcast, the results of this groundbreaking research are explained in detail, providing insights into the following points:
- The extensive verification process the team went through to ensure this result was accurate.
- The factors for and against the possibility of life on Proxima b.
- The nature of a “habitable zone” around a star.
The discovery of Proxima b is a major science result, making this ESOcast a must for those of you curious about one of the most intriguing questions in astronomy — “are we alone?”
Re;Proxima-b
Every Fast Radio Burst we have received will also have illuminated Proxima b at approximately the same time, if current assumptions are correct. Re-radiation of the FRB will arrive here after the appropriate number of years. This echo may be receivable by de-dispersing the signal and pointing a high gain radio telescope dish at Proxima b the received signal may contribute information about any orbiting planets.