The search for a “second earth” continues. New “suspect” exoplanets appear, but the discovery of the Max-Planck-Institut in Göttingen is especially interesting.

the team of researchers from Göttingen discovered new planet, The Planet of our earth is very similar to The “second earth” is 3140 light-years

Göttingen removed – A new discovery is highly interesting: “KOI-456.04” is almost twice as large as the earth and orbits a sun-like star at a distance, the life-friendly temperatures on the surface will allow and is not so far from the earth – 3140 light-years. This discovery was now a team of researchers from Göttingen .

“Second earth” of the Team in Göttingen, Germany

KOI was “Discovered” by a Team under the leadership of the Max-Planck-Institute for solar system research (MPS) in Göttingen . With space telescopes such as COROT, Kepler (2009 to 2013) and TESS Researchers have discovered in the past 14 years, more than 4000 planets around distant star circles.

Among them are some that are like the earth primarily of Rock and pleasant temperatures are expected to prevail are. KOI.456.04 is 1.9 times the radius of earth is comparatively large compared to some other planet , which are considered to be life-friendly.

discovery in Göttingen: “So, it’s like no other Pair of star-and Planet”

“But, in combination with its sun-like host star, Kepler-160, the System appears to be the Combination of the sun and the earth like no other Pair of star and Planet, we know,“ says Heller (MPS Göttingen ). Accordingly, pleasant conditions could prevail:

+ The Max-Planck-Institute for solar system research in Göttingen, Germany.©Pförtner/dpa/nh

The amount of light that hits KOI-456.04, equivalent to 93 percent of earth’s value; if an atmosphere surrounding the planet , would be measured, on average, for beings quite endurable temperatures of five degrees Celsius, ten degrees less than on the average on the earth.

rule tolerable temperatures in Göttingen have discovered a “second earth”?

“But, in order to assess how life-friendly Planet, you have to have the corresponding star in the view,” says René Heller of MPS in Göttingen and first author of the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. Practically all known worlds that are roughly the size of the earth and where moderate temperatures prevail, circles namely red dwarfs.

stars of this type exist for a very long time, they emit mainly infrared light, are light, weakly – and well-the scene of massive eruptions. Another drawback is Tolerable temperatures would only be on a planet that circles in very small intervals, this star . The enormous appeal, but also for the enemy would be.

researchers from Göttingen: Similarity with Central-star

“It is, therefore, doubtful whether erdgroße planet provide red dwarfs favorable conditions for the Emergence of life,” the researchers from the Göttingen .

With a Radius of about 1.1 solar radii, a surface temperature of 5200 degrees Celsius – just about 300 degrees less than that of solar – and an almost sun-like brightness expected of the star as an Image of the Central star of our earth to.

International Team from Göttingen for years in search of “second earth”

The German-American Team of Göttingen took on a brightness measurements of Kepler-160, therefore, again. In the past few years, René Heller and his colleagues have developed a method with which extremely small, previously overlooked planet detect. Already 18 such worlds had the researchers previously in the data of the Kepler telescope discovered.

you have been found: With a Radius of 1.9 times the radius of earth and an orbital period of slightly more than 378 days, the a of – KOI-456.04 is likely to be a of the exciting world of Rocks. You circled within the ring-shaped region around the star, to be expected in the life-friendly temperatures on our earth , so the researchers from the Göttingen .

By Thomas Kopietz

In the Max-Planck-Institute for solar research in Göttingen* was celebrated in the past, the Federal government-wide Astronomietag.

The Max-Planck-Institute now collaborates with the Welcome Centre in Göttingen, Germany*.

*hna.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.

section list image:©Nasa/Goddard Space Flight Center/dpa/picture-alliance