A place for all lovers of space to hang out! From amateurs to professionals to people that just like cool space photos.
We've discovered the closest possible habitable zone planet!
Planet Found in Habitable Zone Around Nearest Star - Pale Red Dot campaign reveals Earth-mass world in orbit around Proxima Centauri
Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities have found clear evidence of a planet orbiting the closest star to Earth, Proxima Centauri. The long-sought world, designated Proxima b, orbits its cool red parent star every 11 days and has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist on its surface.
This is pretty great news, but at the risk of raining on everyone's parade... it's important to remember that while this planet is in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, Proxima Centauri itself is a very inhospitable star that is prone to flaring often. It also has a very high UV light flux, meaning that any life on the planet will almost certainly have to live underground, or underwater (if indeed there is liquid water on the planet). Still, cool stuff!



