Astronomers May Have The Very First Pictures Of An Important Exoplanet
Is anyone else as fantasized with outer space? I love hearing the latest information about new discoveries, planets and galaxies!
There are more than 4,000 exoplanets that have been discovered, but many are too far away to be able to study.
Proxima Centauri has been on astronomers’ radar for while. With it being the closest star to our solar system, it has been the easiest for us to study.
Proxima Centauri is 4.2 light years from our solar system and has a planet orbiting within its habitable zone.
Proxima b was discovered in 2016. This is a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. It could potentially host liquid water. This means that there could be life on this planet!
Astronomers now believe they have snapped an image of Proxima c, another exoplanet circling Proxima Centauri.
They believe Proxima c, which seems to have a likeness to our planet, Neptune, is another planet of Proxima Centauri. It is reportedly very bright and could even contain Saturn-like rings (although that part isn’t confirmed yet).
Like the planets in our solar system, the exoplanets of Proxima Centauri most likely orbit the star the same way our planets do.
The more information get on the newest discovery, Proxima c, the better we’ll get to know Proxima b even more!
Proxima b hasn’t been easy to photograph since it is so close to the star, but with Proxima c being further away from it, the hope is to get some clear pictures soon.
Obviously taking pictures of planets light-years away takes a lot of time and patience. So the fact that we’ve gotten a glimpse at all is exciting, but I look forward to any and all upcoming news about this exciting new planet!
Who knows, maybe in the near off future, we’ll discover other beings and that we aren’t alone in the universe. Until then, we’ve got our imaginations to keep us busy!
