According to the British “Daily Star” report, astronomers searching for potentially habitable exoplanets had previously focused on terrestrial planets. They observe that they are roughly the same size as Earth and receive similar light and light from their parent stars. Hot, and possibly planets with similar atmospheres. But with the increase in the number of exoplanets discovered by the Kepler Space Telescope, astrobiologists have discovered a new class of planets that are not only suitable for human habitation, but their surface conditions may be more suitable for life than those. conditions currently found on Earth. Survive
A Washington State University research team led by Dr. Dirk Schulze-Makuch has discovered many potential “survivable” worlds. The results of the team’s research were published in the journal Astrobiology. Dr. Schultz-Marcucci said: “We have to avoid looking blindly for a second earth, because there may be planets that are more suitable for life than Earth.” These super habitable worlds are bigger and older than Earth. They can be warmer, have more surface water, and their stable lifespan around orbiting stars is longer than our sun.
This means that life can evolve on these planets earlier and have a better chance to evolve to maturity without being disturbed by solar flares or other cosmic disasters that can suddenly destroy alien ecosystems. A large, heavy planet tends to have a dense atmosphere and electromagnetic fields, protecting the growing biosphere from deadly radiation damage, and is more likely to burn meteorites and asteroids that burst into orbit. Larger and heavier planets are also more likely to produce large continents and earthquakes and volcanoes that trigger active plate tectonics, bringing important chemical and mineral elements from the planet’s interior to the surface.
Considering the current problems humans are facing with climate change, high temperatures appear to be a negative feature, but a naturally warm planet from the start will promote the evolution of life to be able to adapt to higher temperatures. The researchers said: “For the Earth today, global warming is a very bad thing, because we have established an established biological system and an atmospheric circulation pattern, and the extreme weather caused by the changes will put a lot of pressure on the biosphere.” to the extinction of species. Furthermore, the sea level will rise, reducing the land area, taking away valuable habitats and putting more pressure on many parts of the biosphere. “But for ecosystems that have evolved to cope with these conditions in other words,” a higher temperature high and a moisture content higher than soil can be very beneficial. “
The Schultz-Marcucci researchers examined nearly 5,000 known exoplanets to see how many of them met their “superhabitation” criteria. Among them, 24 have conditions that may be particularly suitable for life, and only one really stands out. The “Kepler Target Object” numbered 5715.01 is 1.16 times larger than Earth, with an estimated average temperature of 81ºF and a history of approximately 4.3 billion years, long enough to develop complex life. But going there can be a problem. It is 2700 light years from Earth. Even if we have the Enterprise spacecraft, it will take about 11 years to get there.
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