Super-Earth found that could support life
SEP 14, 2011
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025576
The Guardian : The European Southern Observatory’s High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) aided in the recent discovery of 50 new exoplanets, and one of them could support life. Named HD85512b and situated in the constellation Vela about 35 light-years away, the exoplanet orbits a star at a distance that should allow liquid water to exist on its surface. The planet’s mass is 3.6 times that of Earth’s, and estimated temperatures range from about 30 °C to 50 °C. More than 50% of the planet would need cloud cover to be habitable. HD85512b is the second exoplanet discovered so far that could support terrestrial life.
© 2011 American Institute of Physics
