Researcher: Planet orbiting nearest star to Earth may be ocean-covered body

From Wn.com

NASA believes the planet orbiting the nearest star to Earth could be an ocean-covered body and may be habitable, VOA News reported Wednesday.

The rocky Proxima b, which orbits Proxima Centauri, appears to be in the so-called Goldilocks zone, meaning the planet could have liquid water on its surface, the report said.

The planet could be an ““ocean planet with an ocean covering its entire surface.” The dimensions and properties of the planet “favor its habitability,” the report said.

Scientists believe the planet’s core is likely similar to Mercury with a metal core accounting for two-thirds of its mass, reports say. Overall, its mass is similar to Earth.

After further study, a team of researchers from the Marseille Astrophysics Laboratory believe Proxima b may have water similar what might be lurking in subsurface oceans on the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn, the report said.

While Proxima b is much closer to its star than Earth is to the sun, that doesn’t necessarily translate into high temperatures on the planet’s surface because Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf, with a brightness 1,000 times less than the sun, the report said.

But astronomers are unsure about Proxima b for certain, including what the radius of the planet is. This is normally done during transit, when the planet passes in front of its star. Proxima b “is not known to transit,” researchers said.

For more on this story: https://article.wn.com/view/2016/10/26/Researcher_Planet_Orbiting_Nearest_Star_To_Earth_May_Be_Ocea/