Astronomer Guillem Anglada-Escudé suggested that the distant planet Proxima b could have clouds, oceans, and even plants. With the question of how realistic this is, AiF.ru turned to the Russian scientist's colleague Alexander Ivanov.
That's not news
The first data on the possible existence of Proxima b were obtained back in 2013, after which the task arose to reliably confirm or deny them. A group of astronomers under the leadership of Guillem Anglada-Escudé took up the study of this issue. And as a result of their research, it became clear that the planet really exists, as announced in August of this year.
The news aroused great interest, since Proxima b is comparable in size to Earth, and even revolves around the closest star to us after the Sun - Proxima Centauri. The distance to it is just over 4 light years, which is very small by cosmic standards. And now Guillem Anglada-Escudé has further fueled interest in this discovery with his statement. But what does the scientist come from when talking about the possible presence of clouds, oceans and even plants on a distant planet?
“The existence of exoplanets, as all the planets outside the solar system are called, is no longer news,” explains Alexander Ivanov, who has been working for many years at the astrophysical observatory of the Kuban State University. - Today 4.5 thousand such objects are already known. Due to their huge distances, it is impossible to see them through a telescope in the usual way. To make such discoveries, a special technique is used. But it allows you to find out only some of the characteristics of the planet. This also applies to Proxima b."
Krasnodar astronomer Alexander Ivanov
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Photo: AiF / Alexander Vlasenko
Chilly for greens
Scientists were able to calculate the mass of the planet they discovered, its distance to its star and the period of revolution around it, and calculate the approximate temperature on the surface. But it is impossible to get information about whether it has an atmosphere that is necessary for any life, and even more so vegetation.
“Until the first half of the 20th century, people received most of the information about the planets of the solar system by visual and photographic methods,” continues Alexander Ivanov. - But they gave only a rough idea of how distant Uranus and Neptune look like. And we were able to get at least a primitive image of Pluto, which is much further away, only with the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. And only in 2015, when the "New Horizons" spacecraft flew up to this dwarf planet, we learned its real appearance. But from Pluto to the Earth, the light travels "only" for about five hours. What then can we say about the distances at which he gets to us over the years ?! Disks of exoplanets cannot be considered in the usual sense of the word, and even more so in detail."
That is, the assumptions of Guillem Anglada-Escudé definitely cannot be based on scientific data. But is it possible in principle for a plant or other life form to exist on Proxima b? According to Alexander Ivanov, such a probability is very small. The climate on this exoplanet cannot be called favorable. According to scientists, the temperature on its surface is about minus 40 degrees Celsius, and only in the equator it can theoretically rise above zero. Based on this, the Krasnodar astronomer believes that, most likely, this "twin" of the Earth in general resembles Mars. That is, there is hardly anything on its surface besides soil and stones.
It is impossible to examine Proxima b in detail with a telescope
Photo: AiF / Alexander Vlasenko
Just to get attention
There is probably only one way to find out everything about Proxima b. To do this, you need to send a research probe there. Purely theoretically, this is possible, and the leading space powers have the best practices for this. A prototype of an ion engine was once developed in our country, which could become the basis for creating a more serious prototype. Although it alone is not enough. To organize an apparatus capable of reaching Proxima b, it will be necessary to solve a number of complex technical problems. This will require tremendous efforts and simply "space" means. But even if everything works out, the ion-driven probe will be able to reach the specified exoplanet no earlier than in 50-60 years.
“The question of the existence of life on other planets has long occupied the minds of scientists,” says Alexander Ivanov. - If it is found in any, albeit the most primitive form, it will be the greatest discovery. A furor in science will produce the discovery of even traces of extraterrestrial life that existed sometime in the past. But so far such searches have not been crowned with success. Even in the solar system, our capabilities in this are still very limited, but then what to say about exoplanets?"
So where did Guillem Anglada-Escudé's suggestions about Proxima b come from? For the Krasnodar astronomer, the answer to this question is obvious. He believes that with such emotional statements, scientists are trying to draw attention to their findings. This helps them receive funding for further research and the creation of new instruments. And Anglada-Escudé has definitely achieved the goal of exciting the public.