Today scientists announced the discovery of a planet that is near the size of Earth rotating around a small red star only about 11 light years away. The findings were published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The star, known as Ross 128 on this planet, is about 4.5 million miles from the Earth-sized planet orbiting it, and, as the New York Times reports, it “appears to be a quiet, well-behaved star, without the violent eruptions of radiation that might wipe out any beginnings of life before they had a chance to take hold on the planet.” Astronomers also think the planet may hold water, as well as have other conditions that make it possible to sustain life.
“Ross 128 is one of the quietest stars of the neighborhood,” Xavier Bonfils, the paper’s lead author, told the Times.
Bonfils and his co-authors haven’t actually seen the planet, but they were able to measure the wavelenths of light emitting from the star, and, they suspect, the nearby planet is between 1.35 and two time the mass of Earth.
If, in fact, this distant planet does have the necessary conditions to support life, here’s an idea: Let’s round up all the shitty dudes who are ruining this planet, and send them to that one. I know just where we can start.
