A team of astronomers has discovered an Earth-like planet orbiting a star 4,000 light-years from our solar system, potentially providing clues about Earth’s distant future. The rocky planet has a mass similar to Earth and orbits a white dwarf star in the constellation Sagittarius. The possibility of life has been observed on this planet. As the sun enters its final stages, the discovery offers a glimmer of hope for Earth’s survival.
This suggests that it is possible for Earth to avoid being swallowed by the expanding Sun, opening up the possibility for humans to migrate outside the solar system to moons such as Europa, Callisto and Ganymede around Jupiter, or Enceladus near Saturn, for future generations. Provides potential possibilities. shelter.
See what this new planet looks like
What is a white dwarf?
White dwarfs are the remnants of a star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel and shed its outer layers. This symbolizes the end of the sun. When the sun’s nuclear fuel is exhausted, the sun will become a red giant and then shrink into a white dwarf. How much it expands will determine which planets in the solar system will be struck by it – Mercury and Venus are likely to be incinerated. But what will happen to Earth?
Will the earth end?
As the Sun expands into a red giant, its mass loss will push the planets into more distant orbits. This event could save Earth from destruction. “Whether life could have survived on Earth during that (red giant) period is unclear,” said Jessica Lu, associate professor of astronomy at the University of California, Berkeley. “But of course, the most important thing was that the Earth was illuminated by the sun.” Before it became It will not be swallowed before it becomes a huge red giant star. “
“Either way, Earth will only remain habitable for the next billion years, by which time the planet’s oceans will have evaporated due to the greenhouse effect—long before it’s in danger of being swallowed by a red giant star.”
So can humans find refuge beyond Earth?
When the sun becomes a red giant, the solar system’s habitable zone will move outward into the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn. Many of their moons, such as Europa and Callisto, could become ocean worlds capable of supporting life. Before that, humans could migrate from there.
Latest world news
