miércoles, 8 de junio de 2011

UNAM considering possible habitable exoplanet

the researcher  Antigona Segura determine what is the minimum required of atmosphere to warm the surface of this world
 
The mexican considers that the chances are good that exists habitable planet in the Gliese 581 system(Foto: Foto cortesía de Antígona Segura )
 
Wednesday June 1, 2011 Redacción | El Universal22:50


The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) participate in the investigation of the exoplanet Gliese 581d, which could have life.
 Antigona Segura researcher at the Institute of Nuclear Science  involved with Lisa Kaltenegger of Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Subhanjoy Mohanty of Imperial College London, in a series of calculations which confirm that the planet could be a habitable atmosphere.
Among their contributions are to determine what the minimum required atmosphere to warm the surface of that world beyond zero degrees Celsius.
Their results showed which an atmosphere of 7.6 bar (the Earth is just one of those units of pressure), composed of 90% carbon dioxide (CO2) and 10 of nitrogen, would be sufficient to raise the temperature above the point freezing.

The contributor also of the Virtual Laboratory of Planets  Astrobiology Institute of NASA and unique researcher in Mexico to make exoplanet atmospheric models, said the importance of the discovery of other planets is not visit them, but to find traces of life.
 The researcher says in her research that the exoplanet orbits a star and one of the ways to continue their research would be a radial velocity measurement, which is to detect the wobble of the star. That is, if two bodies rotate, they do around a common center, and if you are so massive it appears that one goes around the other.
Add that with respect to Gliese 581d is known to have 7 times more mass than Earth, and distance from its star, but whether it is air or water. He said which only has the certainty which it is a potentially habitable planet.
Segura believes which check is required to "measure" its atmosphere and to establish its composition, with the help of the light passing through it and detect the telescopes.

However, due to its distance, has not yet been able to grasp the instruments. "Building a valuable tool, the James Webb Telescope will replace the Hubble Space Telescope, is being held.
 You still have which wait to determine their knowledge as the  missions Terrestrial Planet Finder and Darwin, will not be ready before 10 years.

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