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A Third of Most Common Exoplanets May Host Life, Scientists Says

A Third of Most Common Exoplanets May Host Life
Scientists from the University of Florida used NASA’s Kepler spacecraft data and found that a third of the most common exoplanets may host life. Credit: NASA/Goddard/S. Wiessinger / Flickr / CC BY 2.0

A recent research paper suggests that there could be millions of planets in our Milky Way galaxy that might be suitable for life. These planets, known as exoplanets, orbit around stars other than our sun.

They are found in close proximity to red dwarf stars, which are smaller and cooler than our sun. In fact, these red dwarf stars make up more than 75% of the 200 billion stars in our galaxy, according to the study.

The research paper was published on May 30th in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study was conducted by the University of Florida and focused on data collected by NASA’s Kepler spacecraft between 2009 and 2018. Kepler discovered more than 2,600 exoplanets, mostly concentrated in a small area of the night sky.

To gather additional information, the researchers also utilized data from the Gaia telescope. This telescope is dedicated to measuring the distances to billions of stars within the galaxy.

Habitability of red dwarf stars

Red dwarf stars are found throughout our galaxy, but the conditions around these stars are quite different from our own solar system.

These stars emit less light and heat, which means that the habitable zone – the region where a planet can maintain a warm temperature rather than being too cold or too hot – is situated very close to the star.

Scientists consider a warm environment to be important in the search for life because only planets within this zone have the potential to harbor liquid water on their surfaces, which is essential for life as we know it on Earth.

However, planets that orbit very close to a star face challenges that could hinder the formation of life.

They are at risk of being exposed to intense flares or experiencing extreme heat due to tidal forces, which can prevent the conditions necessary for life to thrive. The researchers discovered this to be the case for stars that have only one planet in orbit.

One-third of exoplanets worth exploring for habitable zone

The research paper indicates that approximately two-thirds of planets orbiting red dwarf stars do not meet the criteria for potentially hosting life. However, this leaves us with a promising one-third of planets that could be worth exploring further for signs of life beyond our solar system.

The study revealed that many of these potential life-bearing candidates are situated around stars that have multiple planets in their systems. Furthermore, these planets exhibit circular orbits, meaning that the distance between the planet and its star remains consistent throughout its orbit.

Sheila Sagear, an astronomy doctoral student at the University of Florida, emphasized the significance of this finding for future exoplanet research. She stated that there is a growing interest in studying this specific population of stars.

These red dwarf stars present excellent opportunities to search for small planets that reside within an orbit where the presence of liquid water is feasible. Such planets in the habitable zone hold the potential for supporting life.

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