Earth - like Planet "Proxima b" The temperature seems to be Just right.

Someday, mankind make a visit.

In recent years, terrestrial planets that are likely to have extraterrestrial life forms are found one after another. The environment that living bodies can live in, that we human beings can be considered as future migrants. Among them, scientists are particularly interested in the planet Proxima b that was discovered in 2016 .

It is in a habitable zone where life can exist, and it exists in a place very close to the earth (about 4.2 light years). The most important thing is whether human beings can live, but research by the UK research team's computer model has announced the prediction that the temperature is easy for life to live.

UK researchers used the weather forecasting model software " Unified Model " to predict the environment of P-r-o-x-i-m-a b It is a weather forecast program that the UK Meteorological Agency made for earth's meteorological research. Researchers enter the expected atmospheric conditions of Proxima b into this Unified Model. We predicted the climatic environment of Proxima b based on the two patterns of atmospheric conditions in the case of the atmosphere such as the earth rich in nitrogen and oxygen, or in the case of the atmosphere containing only nitrogen and trace carbon dioxide .

According to research results published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, "Proxima b" was found to have a stable surface temperature where water can exist, which proved the prediction so far. But not all the earth's surface is a stable environment. There are places at -200 ° C on the surface of the ground that does not hit the sun. Considering that the lowest temperature of the earth is -93.2 ° C observed in Antarctica, it is not a cold problem. But it is still expected that there will be a warm area of sufficient size for us to emigrate .

It should be noted that this result is predicted under the condition that the atmosphere exists in the Proxima b and there is a possibility that the atmosphere does not exist in the Proxima b at all. In other studies, Proxima b has been circulating near the Red Dwarf Proxima Centauri, so it is pointed out that there is a possibility that the atmosphere is not present because it is exposed to a large amount of high-energy solar flare.

Also, ground surface conditions are not considered at all. Even on the Earth, the results may vary depending on the surface conditions, as the conditions of each land affect the climate.

From those points, Professor Avi Loeb, who is proceeding with plans to send a probe to the α Centaurus star system, which is the authority of Harvard's astronomy and has Proxima b, with "promising materials" Although it is based on the condition that there is the atmosphere, it explains that it is necessary to observe whether the Proxima b actually has the atmosphere and what the atmosphere is composed in the future.

However, it is impossible to observe the atmosphere of Proxima b with the current Space Telescope, and it is necessary to have a stronger telescope than before. Of course, development of new technology is already progressing, and James Webb Space Telescope will be launched in 2018 or later in place of the Hubble Space Telescope which celebrated the 27th anniversary this year . It is expected that further information on the planetary Proxima b will be obtained by the new space telescope.

Whether or not human beings will emigrate to Proxima b. It will be impossible in our life time. But we would like to go around Mars while we are alive.