Astronomers at the University of California have announced the discovery of a new exoplanet that renews hopes in the search for extraterrestrial life.
The newly identified planet, GJ 251 c, lies in a relatively nearby part of our galaxy, at a distance of about 18 light years from Earth. It appears to be rocky and similar to Earth in composition, but with a significantly higher mass. Crucially, it is located in the “habitable zone” of its star, a region where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on the surface. For this reason scientists have described it as a “Super Earth”.
Paul Robertson, associate professor of physics and astronomy, noted that the discovery of exoplanets has become almost routine, but said this particular planet stands out because its host star is so close in astronomical terms, at only around 18 light years away.
GJ 251 c orbits an M dwarf star, one of the most common and oldest types of stars in the Milky Way. These stars often show intense activity such as spots and flares. Sometimes this activity can resemble the signals astronomers use to detect planets, making it harder to confirm their presence.
Despite these technical challenges, the relatively short distance to GJ 251 c makes it a highly promising target for direct imaging in the future. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) at the University of California is expected to be powerful enough to capture clearer images of distant exoplanets and to help confirm whether worlds such as GJ 251 c might host liquid water.
Corey Beard, lead author of the study, said the TMT will be able to directly image planets like GJ 251 c, something that is currently impossible for smaller telescopes.
The discovery was made using data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder (HPF) and NEID instruments. When GJ 251 c exerts its gravitational pull on its star, it produces tiny periodic changes in the star’s light. The HPF recorded these faint “radial velocity signals”, allowing astronomers to infer the planet’s existence.
The HPF is particularly useful for studying M dwarf stars because it operates in the infrared spectrum, where stellar activity appears more subdued and is easier to distinguish from planetary signals.
The research team believes that current computational models are robust enough to treat GJ 251 c as a genuine exoplanet, although final confirmation will require direct imaging. Beard stressed that next generation telescope technologies and international scientific cooperation will be crucial to fully understanding the nature of this planet.
Source: CNN