Astronomers have confirmed the existence of four small exoplanets orbiting a star less than 6 light-years away from Earth. The discovery was made possible by combining the world’s most powerful telescopes, including the Gemini Telescope in Hawaii and the Very Large Telescope in Chile.
The planets were found to be rocky in nature and are about 20-30% the mass of Earth. However, due to their close proximity to Barnard’s Star, they are likely too hot to sustain life.
Barnard’s Star is a low-mass red dwarf star located just 5 light-years away from our solar system. The discovery of exoplanets around this star sheds new light on the types of planets that can orbit such stars, which make up about 70% of all stars in the Milky Way.
The detection of these exoplanets was a collaborative effort between scientists at various institutions, including the University of Chicago and Heidelberg University. The team used data from 112 nights over three years to confirm the existence of four planets orbiting Barnard’s Star.
This discovery is an exciting find for astronomers, who are eager to learn more about the properties of exoplanets around small stars like Barnard’s Star.
Source: https://abcnews.go.com/International/planets-found-orbiting-star-6-light-years/story?id=119909263