Just over four light years away is the closest star system to ours: Alpha Centauri. It is composed of the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, 4.2 light-years away, and a little further, 4.37 light-years away, a binary complex with two nearby stars, Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. while , we don’t know if there are planets similar to ours, but a team led by scientist Haiyang Wang, from the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (Switzerland), studied the chemistry of the two stars to find out deduce the chemical composition of a hypothetical planet and habitable rock which was the “twin” of the Earth. Of course, in a habitable zone of the system – that is, the one most likely to have “perfect” water and conditions for life.
Surprisingly, the models made by Wang and his team suggest that the Earth of Alpha Centauri would be quite similar to our planet. It would have a mantle, or middle layer, dominated by silicates, and an interior with a water storage capacity similar to the planet in the solar system. The difference, according to the study published in the Astrophysical Journal, would be that Earth’s twin planet would have more graphite and diamonds in its mantle, which would likely make it brighter.
Another interesting – and more promising – point is that the simulated Earth exhibits a similar early atmosphere to the solar system planet during the Archean eon, around 4 to 2.5 billion years ago. It was at this time that life appeared on our planet in the form of microbes.
The planet would have a more ferrous core than ours
On the other hand, however, Alpha Centauri’s Earth would be different from normal Earth as it would likely have a slightly larger iron core than our own. Its surface would not obey the theory of tectonic plates either — the thesis, presented by the German Alfred Wegener in 1913, starts from the deduction that the earth’s crust is made up of semi-rigid and mobile blocks which dictate the organization continents and oceans. .
In any case, the study conducted by Wang offers much more than what an earth twin would look like. The idea is to indicate avenues for the future exploration of exoplanets. In recent times, such a concept has gained traction as research into hyperspeed spacecraft – at 20% the speed of light – increases. With such devices, we would be able, for example, to reach Alpha Centauri in just 20 years.
Main image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser (image shows an artist’s impression of what a planet would look like in Alpha Centauri)
Read also :
Have you watched our new videos on Youtube? Subscribe to our channel!
-
Will the Alphas save Christmas?
-
Gourmet Bubbles: Planet of the Alphas
