#exoplanets

#exoplanets

Red dwarfs, or M dwarfs, are the most tempting places to seek alien Earths because they're the most abundant and enduring stars. They make up the majority of the stars in the Milky Way and shine with a slow thermonuclear simmer that should allow them to live exponentially longer than mosteven, say, for 14 trillion years, or 1,000 times the current age of the universe.

"Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting. It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low-mass stars."

"This makes TOI-6894 the lowest mass star known to date to host such a planet," said Edward Bryant, Astrophysics Prize Fellow at the University of Warwick. "This discovery will be a cornerstone for understanding the extremes of giant planet formation."

"A young star of this type is an angry beast, especially if you're sitting as close up as this planet does," said Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy astrophysicist Ekaterina Ilin.

In the 21st century, we have confirmed nearly 6000 exoplanets, compared to none in 1990, revealing a vast potential for life beyond Earth in the universe.

When we search for life in the Universe, it makes sense to look for planets that are similar to Earth.

Liquid carbon is challenging to produce in labs, requiring extreme temperatures and pressures, conditions found in the interiors of giant planets like Uranus and Neptune.

"I have been talking to my daughter about Artemis. She asked me what right did we have to establish a community on the Moon. I compared our exploration to Columbus."