Closest 'habitable' planet found 14 light years away

[vgane]

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Star hosting a planet that will be like Earth! Amazing!

[h=1]Closest 'habitable' planet found 14 light years away[/h]December 20, 2015 22:52

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Astronomers have discovered the closest potentially habitable planet found outside our solar system, orbiting a star just 14 light years away.

The planet, more than four times the mass of Earth, is one of three that the team detected around a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061.


"It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface, and the middle planet, Wolf 1061c, sits within the 'Goldilocks' zone where it might be possible for liquid water -- and maybe even life -- to exist," said lead study author Duncan Wright, from University of New South Wales in Australia.


"It is fascinating to look out at the vastness of space and think a star so very close to us -- a near neighbour -- could host a habitable planet," Wright said.

http://news.rediff.com/commentary/2...t-years-away/268da38c63fad8033d1a1611937b7f35

 

[yesmohan]

The said planet is orbiting around a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061,14 light years away.
How many light years are there in between earth and Star Wolf 1061, is not made explicit.
Almost all stars outside the solar system are said to be 40 to 70 light years away from earth.
Then what could be feasible by this findings are best known only to the discoverers only.

 

[prasad1]

The most distant spacecraft humans have made is Voyager 1, which is currently about 100 AU from the Sun, after 30 years of travel. At this rate it will take 18,750 years for Voyager 1 to travel one light-year.

So even 1 light year is too long.

 

[yesmohan]

If the grandfather scientist does the step 1 of the research, his great grandson - scientist would do the follow up step 2 !