The super Earth is called Ross 508b and has a mass four times that of Earth. A year, however, lasts only 11 Earth days
“Are we alone in the universe?” It is a question that we have always asked ourselves, and although humanity has not yet reached the point of giving significant responsesscientists are continuously looking for clues that could indicate the existence of some . What better way than to find other Earth-like planets? The program Subarustarted in 2007 with the Japanese Subaru telescope of the same name, has allowed scientists to discover a potentially habitable super-Earth just 37 light-years away.
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What we know about Ross 508b
Call Ross 508bis a super-Earth with a mass about four times that of our planet. The interesting thing is that one year on Ross 508b only lasts 11 Earth days. This means that its orbit is not very large, also because it is close to a red dwarfmuch smaller. Smaller also means that its gravitational field is not as powerful as that of our star. Therefore Ross 508b revolves around this red dwarf at a distance of just 5 million kilometers (Mercury, for example, is 60 million kilometers from the Sun.)
The question therefore arises spontaneously: how can a planet so close to its parent star be considered habitable? The answer lies in the planet, which does not allow it to always be close to the star. In other words, this celestial body He goes in and out constantly from the so-called habitable area. Among other things, scientists believe that a planet like Ross 508b may be capable of retain water on its surface. However, further studies and observations will be needed to understand whether water (and therefore life) thrives on this new world.
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