The Nearest Earth-Like Planet Outside Our Solar System ‘GJ 1132b’ Could Be a Water World
At a distance of 4.2 light years, Proxima b is the closest potentially habitable Earth-like planet outside our solar system. New research suggests this distant orb could be completely covered in water. So when do we go?
This past August, scientists with the European Southern Observatory (ESO) confirmed the discovery of a rocky planet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri-our nearest neighboring star. Little is known about this distant planet and whether it has what it takes to foster alien life, but a new study accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal posits the suggestion that Proxima b is covered with oceans, and possibly even a single massive ocean that envelops the entire planet.
Proxima b is a fascinating target for study, and not just because it’s an Earth-like pla...