Astronomers have discovered a nearby exoplanet that should instantly top the list of
worlds beyond our solar system worth checking for signs of alien life.
Ross 128 b orbits the star Ross 128 just 11 light-years away and could be rocky and temperate like Earth, and just about the same size, too. Unlike other close rocky planets, such as those orbiting Trappist-1 and Proxima Centauri, Ross 128 b is set apart because its host star doesn't regularly blast it with potentially sterilizing flares of radiation.
An international team of astronomers on Wednesday published a paper (PDF) detailing the planet's discovery in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
Like Proxima b and the Trappist-1 planets, Ross 128 b's host star is an M dwarf. This common class of star is smaller and redder than our sun, and its relative dimness and size makes it a favored target of astronomers looking for exoplanets. That's because orbiting worlds are generally easier to spot around smaller, dimmer stars.
The problem with M dwarfs is that many, such as Trappist-1 and Proxima Centauri, have a nasty habit of sending out big flares that could erode the atmospheres of orbiting planets. This bathes those surfaces in radiation that makes it difficult for life as we know it to emerge or survive. https://www.cnet.com/news/ross-128-b-exoplanet-alien-life-space-earth-like/
