WASHINGTON — An Earth\u002Dsized planet orbiting a dim star in our galactic neighborhood is offering some of the best evidence to date of volcanism beyond our solar…
“On the dayside, it is too hot for liquid water, so it is likely very dry and hot – likely a desert. On the night side, there is possibly a large icy glacier,” said study co-author Björn Benneke, head of the astronomy group at the University of Montreal.
The planet is located in the Milky Way about 86 light-years away from our solar system in the direction of the constellation Crater. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles . Its surface temperature appears to be slightly warmer than Earth. It is situated on the inner edge of what is called the habitable zone, or Goldilocks zone, around the star – not too hot and not too cold, perhaps able to maintain liquid water on the surface and harbor life.Article content
“Since the planet is so volcanically active, it is still contributing gases to the atmosphere from the interior. As such, the planet probably still has an atmosphere. The planet is unlikely to be habitable, however, since the total amount of energy makes for a quite hostile environment. Who knows? Life may find a way,” Kane added.
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