Announced a new contender for the title of the second Earth

A new contender for the title of the second Earth entered the list of exoplanets that might harbor life on its surface. The new super-Earths Gliese 163c is on the inner edge habitable zone of the red dwarf Gliese 163 ( Gliese 163 ) and is likely to have liquid water on the surface.

Found exoplanet astronomers working with the spectrograph HARPS telescope La Silla Observatory ( La Silla Paranal Observatory ) in Chile. Mass of the new planet more than 6.9 times the Earth, Gliese 163c is drawn around their lights for 26 days.

The whole planetary system is located at a distance of 49 light years from Earth in the direction of the constellation Dorado.

"Gliese 163c is structurally and compositionally similar to the planet suitable for life" - says Bonfis Xavier ( Xavier Bonfils ) from the University Joseph Fourier in Grenoble. The scientist added that the size of the exoplanet may range 1.8-2.4 the radius of the Earth, depending on what it's for the most part consists of (rocky rocks or water).

Parent star Gliese 163c warms better than Earth's sun. On average, this world goes up to 40% more light, which means that the average temperature is higher than ours - about 60 ° C. Most of the Earth's plants and animals cannot survive in temperatures above 50 ° C. However, some terrestrial microorganisms (called extremophiles ) may well suffer a fever.

However, the habitability of planets orbiting red dwarf stars is still in question. First, because due to tidal effects, they may further heat up the surface of their planet. Furthermore, this effect can lead to even tidal capture (when the planet is always turned to one side of his luminary). Second, the red dwarf solar activity and can quickly destroy the atmosphere of nearby planets stellar wind.

Add that Gliese 163s was fifth in the official catalog of planets suitable for life (at least for the simplest forms). Make this list Lab experts habitable planets at the University of Puerto Rico (PHL). Closest "neighbors" Gliese 163s are Gliese 581g , Gliese 581d, Gliese 667Cc , orbiting the red dwarf (M-type stars), and Kepler 22b, which lives in the vicinity of light, like our (class G), and HD 85512, circling near the star of class K (for classification is between the sun and the stars of M-class).

All of these alien worlds are larger than the Earth and discovered in the last year of astronomical research. Now researchers are preparing space equipment, which will help open objects smaller size, more like a planet.