What if There's an Earth-Like Planet at One of Our Closest Stars?

Our Solar System is four light-years away. There is a red dwarf at a distance of 4.2 light-years and a system of Sun-like stars at 4.37 light-years.

We don't know if there are any Earth-like worlds. Our current technology is too difficult to detect such exoplanets. We now have a better idea of what it might be like if there is one there, thanks to a study led by planetary scientist Haiyang Wang.

The international team studied the chemistry of the two stars and used it to infer the chemical composition of a hypothetical rocky world.

An analysis of planetary bulk composition, interiors, and early atmospheres for a model Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of Alpha CentauriAB was presented by researchers.

The detailed analysis offers a new approach of investigation to what we may expect for Earth-sized planets in the solar neighborhood.

Understanding the long-term evolution and potential habitability of rocky exoplanets is vital. The mineral composition of rocky worlds is reflected in their host stars, based on observations of the rocky objects in the Solar System and other planetary systems.

We have a lot of information about Alpha Centauri's chemical composition because it's so close. The stars absorb and re-emit light and can create dark and bright features on the light spectrum that hits our telescopes. The features can be used to determine the composition.

Rock-forming elements, such as magnesium, Silicon, and iron, are present in Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman, as well as volatiles that evaporate quickly, such as carbon and oxygen.

The distance from the star that is neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to be present is revealed by our analyses.

The researchers called their hypothetical world "Cen-Earth" and determined that it would be very similar to Earth. A rocky mantle with a water storage capacity similar to that of Earth, dominated by silicate minerals, but also containing a healthy proportion of carbon-bearing minerals such as diamond and graphite.

This exoplanet might have a slightly larger iron core than Earth, with less geological activity, and possibly no plate tectonics, which could make it more similar to Venus. It could affect its habitability.

So far, so good. Since the relationship between the two is less firm, it's harder to infer the atmosphere of exoplanets based on stellar composition.

Wang has spent the last few years refining a model that connects the compositions of Sun-like stars to the compositions of their exoplanets.

It was possible for the team to create an atmosphere similar to that of early Earth in the exoplanet's early years. The atmosphere would have been dominated by methane, carbon dioxide, and water.

It could yield clues as to the future of Earth. Any exoplanets hosted by Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman would be older than the Sun due to the 1.5 to 2 billion year old age of Alpha CentauriAB. We are in a good position to discover such worlds soon.

Astronomers will be able to detect many smaller exoplanets that are more distant from their stars soon, thanks to our exoplanet detection methods and technology.

From our perspective, Rigil Kentaurus and Toliman will be more distant from each other from this year. The light from the stars will be less likely to interfere with exoplanet observations after the separation.

A tentative detection of a relatively small exoplanet, between 3.3 and 7 times the size of Earth, was made by scientists. We are looking forward to seeing what else is around some of the closest stars to Earth.

The research has been published.