Latest news with #CharlesBeichman
Daily Mirror
3 days ago
- Science
- Daily Mirror
New giant planet found in our nearest star system - and it could support life
NASA scientists say the new planet orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star in the Alpha Centauri stellar system - and it could have moons with the potential to support life Thrilled NASA scientists say they have discovered a giant new planet in the nearest star system to Earth that could have moons capable of supporting life. The planet has been found orbiting a star in the Alpha Centauri stellar system by astronomers using NASA 's hi-tech James Webb Space Telescope - and it's located just four lightyears away from Earth. The discovery follows years of scientific focus on Alpha Centauri, which has three stars and is thought to foster some of the best conditions for extra-terrestrial life. Researchers say the new observations from James Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) provide some of the strongest evidence to date of a gas giant orbiting the system's largest star, Alpha Centauri A. If confirmed, the new planet would be the closest planet to Earth that orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star - but because it's gas giant (like Saturn and Jupiter), scientists say it would not be able to support life as we know it. However, it could have a number of moons that are habitable. The similarities between the exoplanet's star and our Sun makes has singled it out as particularly promising object of future study, along with its relative closeness to Earth. The planet was detected just once, in August 2024, but has since evaded the gaze of astronomers. They hope to get another, sharper look when a new NASA telescope, the Grace Roman Space Telescope, begins operating in 2027. Charles Beichman, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute at Caltech's IPAC astronomy centre, said: 'With this system being so close to us, any exoplanets found would offer our best opportunity to collect data on planetary systems other than our own. 'Yet, these are incredibly challenging observations to make, even with the world 's most powerful space telescope, because these stars are so bright, close, and move across the sky quickly,'. 'Webb was designed and optimised to find the most distant galaxies in the universe. The operations team at the Space Telescope Science Institute had to come up with a custom observing sequence just for this target, and their extra effort paid off spectacularly.' It comes after a planet with 'striking' similarities to Jupiter was spotted roughly 400 light years away from Earth. The gaseous planet, named TOI-4465 b, is located around 400 light-years from Earth and is around the same size as Jupiter, but with a much smaller orbit. A global team of 24 observers from Britain, the US, Japan, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Austria contributed data, with 21 being amateur stargazers.
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Science
- Boston Globe
NASA discovers possible new planet
Advertisement The find was announced in two papers that have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. It is a potential preview of the types of discoveries that will be possible in the future as astronomers' tools for hunting exoplanets — particularly ones like Earth — evolve. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Three stars make up Alpha Centauri. However, only two, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, are like our sun. They are locked in close orbit around each other. Circling this pair from farther away is a faint red dwarf known as Proxima Centauri. The stars themselves are 'pretty run-of-the mill,' said Charles Beichman, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. But the system is a touchstone for investigations of stars like our sun, Beichman added, because cosmically speaking, 'it's right next door.' Advertisement So far, only Proxima Centauri has known planets. Astronomers discovered those worlds indirectly, by measuring the way their gravity tugs on their star. Snapping an image of a planet is a more direct method, but also more difficult. Astronomers must isolate the faint light emitted by the planet from the more vibrant glow of its host star. Direct imaging so far has best been used to find young, massive planets, because they are hotter and burn more brightly, said Aniket Sanghi, a graduate student at Caltech involved in the discovery. With the Webb telescope, that trend may change. Launched in 2021, scientists designed the space telescope to peer into the far reaches of the cosmos. But it trained its eyes much closer to home in August 2024, when astronomers pointed it at Alpha Centauri. A coronagraph on the telescope blocked most of the glow from Alpha Centauri A. That, combined with clever image processing to remove the glare from Alpha Centauri B, was enough for the astronomers to make out a faint speck of light — a possible planet. Further analysis ruled out the speck as a photo-bombing asteroid, a background galaxy, or an image artifact. 'We spent over the past year trying to kill this object in our images, but we haven't been successful in doing so,' Sanghi said. The planet, if it is one, is about the size of Jupiter and has about the mass of Saturn. It orbits Alpha Centauri A every two Earth-years at roughly one to two times the distance between our sun and Earth. It has a temperature of about minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Advertisement To claim a discovery, astronomers will need to find the planet again, either with the Webb telescope, with another observatory on the ground, or in space. The Extremely Large Telescope, a European observatory under construction in Chile, could help. So could NASA's Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to launch by May 2027. Direct imaging of planets is difficult, even more so when there are multiple sources of light close by, as in Alpha Centauri. But the technique has high reward: It yields a wealth of information about the planets, including their size, mass, temperature, and distance from the host star. 'This is really the only technique that we'll ever be able to use to look for biosignatures, or any sort of signatures of habitability,' Beichman said. The Habitable Worlds Observatory, a space telescope proposed as NASA's next flagship mission, will use direct imaging to hunt for Earthlike exoplanets around stars dozens of light-years away. According to Beichman, discoveries like a giant gas planet much closer to home are headway toward that goal. 'This is the first step,' he said. 'We're doing it with Webb.' This article originally appeared in
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
James Webb telescope detects possible new exoplanet just 4 light-years away from Earth
Image: In a stunning breakthrough, astronomers using NASA 's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have found strong evidence of a new exoplanet orbiting Alpha Centauri A , the closest sun-like star to Earth, just 4.37 light-years away. Using its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and a coronagraph to block stellar glare, JWST captured a faint object believed to be a gas giant within the star's habitable zone . Though not suitable for life as we know it, the potential planet represents a major leap in exoplanetary science and could be the closest directly imaged world outside our solar system. James Webb telescope captures glimpse into a nearby system Alpha Centauri A is part of the Alpha Centauri triple-star system, which also includes Alpha Centauri B and the red dwarf Proxima Centauri . While Proxima has two confirmed planets, including the potentially habitable Proxima b, Alpha Centauri A has long been a target of interest due to its similarities to our own sun. The discovery of a candidate planet orbiting it is not only thrilling; it is historic. What makes this discovery even more compelling is the location of the possible exoplanet: within the habitable zone of Alpha Centauri A. At a distance of two astronomical units from its host star (twice the distance from Earth to the Sun), the gas giant lies in the region where liquid water could exist, at least on moons if it has any. However, as a gas giant, it is unlikely to support life directly. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Dementia Has Been Linked To a Common Habit. Do You Do It? Memory Health Learn More Undo Cutting-edge tech behind the discovery The JWST used its Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) along with a coronagraphic mask to suppress the overwhelming light from Alpha Centauri A, revealing the faint signature of the suspected planet. The object is about 10,000 times fainter than its host star, an extraordinary contrast achieved thanks to the telescope's unprecedented sensitivity. If confirmed, this would be the closest exoplanet ever directly imaged around a sun-like star and the first such planet to be observed at this proximity. The discovery hints at the possibility that planetary systems similar to ours may be more common and closer than previously thought. A new era for nearby exploration Scientists are already excited about the opportunities this planet offers. As Charles Beichman of NASA's Exoplanet Science Institute noted, the proximity of Alpha Centauri A makes it one of the best candidates for future in-depth studies. With new instruments and missions on the horizon, this system could become a focal point for the next generation of space exploration. While promising, the object is still considered a planet 'candidate.' Further observation and analysis are needed to confirm its nature. If validated, it would mark a major milestone and open the door to studying exoplanets not just light-years away but potentially within reach of future interstellar probes. From science to sci-fi The discovery has also thrilled science fiction fans, especially since James Cameron's Avatar series is set on Pandora, a lush, habitable moon orbiting a gas giant around Alpha Centauri A. This cinematic connection has long stirred public imagination about what might exist in our cosmic neighborhood. Now, with real scientific data pointing to a massive planet in that same system, the boundary between fiction and possibility feels thinner than ever. While this newfound world is unlikely to host life itself, its presence raises the possibility of moons or other celestial bodies in its orbit that could offer more Earth-like conditions. It also reinforces the cultural and scientific fascination with Alpha Centauri as humanity's first potential step beyond the solar system — a destination for future probes or even interstellar travel concepts like Breakthrough Starshot. With the James Webb Space Telescope continuing to exceed expectations, discoveries like this are no longer confined to science fiction. They are part of a new, unfolding reality — one where humanity's view of the cosmos expands with every image, every pixel, and every distant light revealed.
New York Times
4 days ago
- Science
- New York Times
Possible Planet Is Spotted Around Neighboring Sunlike Star
Alpha Centauri has gripped the imaginations of sci-fi aficionados for decades. Only four light-years from Earth, the three-star system inspires fictional alien worlds and journeys through interstellar space. Its proximity also makes it alluring for astronomers, including a team that, on Thursday, provided the strongest evidence yet that a planet circles one of Alpha Centauri's sunlike stars. The world is at the very edge of the region around the star where liquid water can exist, known as the habitable zone. Because it is made of gas, the planet itself would not support life as we know it. But the possible planet, discovered through observations from NASA's powerful James Webb Space Telescope, would be the closest ever found orbiting within a sunlike star's habitable zone. However, further observations are needed to confirm it is indeed a planet. The find was announced in two papers that have been accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. It is a potential preview of the types of discoveries that will be possible in the future as astronomers' tools for hunting exoplanets — particularly ones like our Earth — evolve. Three stars make up Alpha Centauri. But only two, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, are like our sun. They are locked in close orbit around each other. Circling this pair from farther away is a faint red dwarf known as Proxima Centauri. The stars themselves are 'pretty run-of-the mill,' said Charles Beichman, an astronomer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the California Institute of Technology. But the system is a touchstone for investigations of stars like our sun, Dr. Beichman added, because cosmically speaking, 'it's right next door.' Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Gizmodo
5 days ago
- Science
- Gizmodo
If This Planet Is Real, It Would Break So Many Records
Exoplanet hunters have had an eye on Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to Earth at just four light-years away, for decades. We know that it consists of two Sun-like stars, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B, as well as a faint red dwarf star, Proxima Centauri. But while researchers have previously discovered three exoplanets orbiting Proxima Centauri, the search for more worlds orbiting the system's other two stars has proven difficult. Until now: New evidence from the James Webb Space Telescope indicates there is a gas giant planet in orbit around Alpha Centauri A. And what's more, it is likely in the star's habitable zone. Researchers described this tantalizing candidate planet in two studies published today on the preprint server arXiv, with the papers forthcoming in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. If the planet is confirmed, it would break numerous records. It would be the first exoplanet ever observed around a star about the same age and temperature as our Sun, and the nearest exoplanet to Earth orbiting in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star. It would also be the closest planet to its host star ever to be imaged directly—it is likely just two astronomical units, or twice the distance between the Sun and the Earth, from its host star—rather than observed using indirect means. 'With this system being so close to us, any exoplanets found would offer our best opportunity to collect data on planetary systems other than our own,' Charles Beichman, co-lead author of the studies and an executive director of the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute, said in a statement. 'Yet, these are incredibly challenging observations to make, even with the world's most powerful space telescope, because these stars are so bright, close, and move across the sky quickly,' he explained: The closer a planet is to its star, the harder it is to spot. Researchers began the observations in August 2024, using a device on Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument known as a coronagraphic mask. It allows researchers to block out the glare of both Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B in observations in order to see any orbiting planets, revealing the evidence of this potential record-breaking exoplanet. If the planet really does exist and orbits in Alpha Centauri A's habitable zone—a point where liquid water can exist on a planet's surface—its mid-infrared brightness indicates it's a gas giant of about the same mass of Saturn. That unfortunately means we would not expect to find any signs of life, at least as we know it. In fact it is very unlikely any world orbiting Alpha Centuari A could sustain liquid water in this zone, the researchers write, because 'the elliptical orbit of the candidate giant planet sweeps through most of Alpha Centauri A's habitable zone, making it unlikely that smaller rocky planets could survive.' That's a bummer, because rocky exoplanets within habitable zones are the focus of the search for extraterrestrial life. Nonetheless, the potential planet is 'the most similar in temperature and age to the giant planets in our solar system and nearest to our home, Earth,' explained Sanghi Aniket Sanghi, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology who was also co-lead author on the studies. 'Its very existence in a system of two closely separated stars would challenge our understanding of how planets form, survive, and evolve in chaotic environments,' Sanghi added. It remains to be seen what future observations will reveal about the potential gas giant. Some—and especially fans of the James Cameron movie Avatar—may be particularly interested in learning if it has any moons, like the one on which the film's Na'vi are supposed to live.
