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High Potential for Life Circling Alpha Centauri B, our Nearest Neighbor
An artist’s conception of an exoplanet forming within a protoplanetary disk. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
While exoplanets make the news on an almost daily basis, one of the biggest announcements occurred in 2012 when astronomers claimed the discovery of an Earth-like planet circling our nearest neighbor, Alpha Centauri B, a mere 4.3 light-years away. That’s almost close enough to touch.
Of course such a discovery has led to a heated debate over the last three years. While most astronomers remain skeptical of this planet’s presence and astronomers continue to study this system, computer simulations from 2008 actually showed the possibility of 11 Earth-like planets in the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri B.
Now, recent research suggests that five of these computer-simulated planets have a high potential for photosynthetic life.
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Read the rest of High Potential for Life Circling Alpha Centauri B, our Nearest Neighbor (525 words)
© Shannon Hall for Universe Today, 2014. |
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Post tags: Astrobiology, exoplanet, protoplanetary disk
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/108865/high-potential-for-life-circling-alpha-centauri-b-our-nearest-neighbor/
