There’s an ‘Earth-like’ planet with an atmosphere just 39 light-years away

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  1. truebluefan

    truebluefan Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    An artist's conception of the exoplanet GJ 1132b, which orbits the red dwarf star GJ 1132. Astronomers have managed to detect the atmosphere of this Earthlike planet.

    There are a lot of good reasons to be captivated by the exoplanet GJ 1132b. Located in the constellation Vela, it's a mere 39 light-years from Earth — just a hop, skip and a jump in galactic terms. It's similar to Earth in terms of size and mass, and it dances in a close-in orbit around its star, a dimly burning red dwarf.

    And, astronomers recently discovered, it has an atmosphere.

    The finding, published in the Astronomical Journal, is the first detection of an atmosphere around a terrestrial “Earth-like” planet orbiting a red dwarf star — and it suggests there could be millions more.

    Read more https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...t-39-light-years-away/?utm_term=.f47cb3b8c764
     

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