NASA

Astronomers have zeroed in on a new up-and-coming candidate in the search for a planet beyond our solar system that might be able to sustain life.

Three so-called "super-Earths" have been spotted around the red dwarf star K2-155, around 200 light-years away. The outermost planet, K2-155d, is 1.6 times the size of Earth near the star's habitable zone and could be a watery planet, which is always a good sign when it comes to possibly harboring life.

Researchers ran what is known about the exoplanet through some climate modeling programs and found it has the potential to be habitable, especially if other factors like the absence of major solar flares from K2-155 turn out to also be positive. Fortunately for any hypothetical critters on K2-155d, no flares were seen from the star over a period of 80 days. We recently learned that the same can't be said for the nearest exoplanet, poor flare-blasted Proxima b.

If there is life on K2-155d, it lives by very different natural cycles than Earth's. A year there would only be about 40 days long, but it would be tough to keep track of the days as the planet likely is tidally locked and doesn't spin on its axis, just like our moon. So any possible life forms there probably bask on the day-side of the planet in constant sunlight that has a more reddish hue than the yellow glare from our brighter sun.

The findings on K2-155d are based on data from the NASA Kepler spacecraft's second mission, K2, and follow-up observations from ground-based telescopes in Hawaii and Spain, among other places. They were published last month in the Astronomical Journal.

At this point, thousands of intriguing exoplanets have been identified, but the odds are good we'll hear more about K2-155d in the future because its host star is among the brightest of the red dwarf stars known to be orbited by planets.

"Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research," Teruyuki Hirano, who led the research, said in a news release Monday. Hirano is with the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Researchers like Hirano have been relying largely on data from Kepler to find exoplanet candidates, but we'll soon enter a new era of planet discovery with the planned launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in April.

"TESS is expected to find many candidate planets around bright stars closer to Earth," he says.

Soon, space fans may not only get excited by news of Elon Musk's plans for the red planet, but also by the search for life around red stars.

Crowd Control: A crowdsourced science fiction novel written by CNET readers.

Solving for XX: The tech industry seeks to overcome outdated ideas about "women in tech."</s>Spotting new exoplanets with NASA’s Kepler space telescope is nothing new. Google even managed to automate the process with machine learning. Just add them to the pile with the 3,700 other exoplanets, right? Sometimes researchers still spot a planet of particular interest in the data that deserves additional study. Such is the case with one of 15 planets just uncovered by Japanese astronomers. It’s Earth-like and potentially habitable.

Kepler has been in operation for nearly a decade, scanning large numbers of stars in order to spot small dips in brightness. That dip could signify a planet is orbiting the star and passed in front of it from Kepler’s perspective. However, someone needs to go through the data to determine if the signal really does give away the presence of a planet.

Researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Technology spotted the latest exoplanets hiding in the data when examining readings collected by Kepler in the K2 phase. K2 started several years ago when reaction wheel problems limited the effectiveness of the satellite’s camera. Even in this limited mode, Kepler has found hundreds of new exoplanets to add to the total of more than 2,500 discovered since it started operating. Three of the 15 newly discovered planets fall into the Super-Earth category, meaning they’re rocky and between 1.5 and two times larger than Earth.

Of the three Super-Earths, one known as K2-155d is a tantalizing target for future study. It orbits a red dwarf star about 200 light years away, which is called K2-155. Red dwarfs are very long-lived stars, so life would have plenty of time to develop. They’re smaller and cooler than the sun, but an exoplanet orbiting close enough could still be warm enough to have liquid water on its surface. The flip side is that radiation would be more intense at that distance.

K2-155d is about 1.6 times the size of Earth, but we can’t say anything for sure about its density. Therefore, it may have more gravity than Earth or it could be very similar because of a lower density. Based on simulations of the exoplanet, the team believes it could have an atmosphere similar to Earth’s. Additional observations will help nail down the exoplanet’s properties and determine if it would be habitable by our standards.

NASA is set to launch the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) next month. This spacecraft will look at the brightest stars near Earth over a two-year period to gather data about exoplanets. As the brightest red dwarf visible from Earth, K2-155 could be on the list.</s>Scientists have discovered 15 new planets – including one ‘super-Earth’ that could harbour liquid water – orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system. The stars, known as red dwarfs, are of interest for studies of planetary formation and evolution, said the team led by Teruyuki Hirano from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

“Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research,” Hirano said. One of the brightest red dwarfs – K2-155 that is around 200 light years away from Earth – has three transiting ‘super-Earths’, which are slightly bigger than our own planet.

Of those three ‘super-Earths’, the outermost planet, K2-155d, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, could be within the host star’s habitable zone, the researchers noted in the study appeared in The Astronomical Journal. The team found that K2-155d could potentially have liquid water on its surface based on three-dimensional global climate simulations. To reach this conclusion, the team sifted through data from NASA Kepler spacecraft’s second mission, K2, and follow-up observations using ground-based telescopes, including the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain.

A more precise estimate of the radius and temperature of the K2-155 star would be needed to conclude definitively whether K2-155d is habitable. Achieving such precision would require further studies, for example, using interferometric techniques, the researchers said. The researchers also investigated the relationship between planet radius and metallicity of the host star.

“Large planets are only discovered around metal-rich stars and what we found was consistent with our predictions. The few planets with a radius about three times that of Earth were found orbiting the most metal-rich red dwarfs,” Hirano noted. With the planned launch of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in April this year, Hirano is hopeful that even more planets will be discovered. “TESS is expected to find many candidate planets around bright stars closer to Earth,” he said.

For all the latest Technology News, download Indian Express App</s>The exoplanet in question orbits the red dwarf star K2-155, which can be found approximately 200 light-years from Earth.

New research has confirmed the presence of 15 exoplanets orbiting smaller, cooler red dwarf stars. These include three so-called “super-Earths,” one of which is believed to have a key ingredient for life – liquid water.

In two studies recently published in the Astronomical Journal, researchers detailed their observations on data from the Kepler space telescope’s K2 mission, which were combined with findings made using ground-based telescopes, such as Spain’s Nordic Optical Telescope and Hawaii’s Subaru Telescope. This allowed them to confirm the 15 new exoplanets and their host stars, including K2-155, which is located around 200 light-years from Earth. Three super-Earths were found to be orbiting that bright red dwarf, but it was the outermost planet, K2-155d, that stood out as possibly being within K2-155’s habitable zone.

As noted by Phys.org, climate modeling simulations suggested that there is a chance that K2-155d, which has a radius about 1.6 times greater than our planet’s, might have liquid water on its surface. But while the researchers’ simulations further hinted at the exoplanet having an “Earth-like” atmosphere and other features, the study’s lead author, Teruyuki Hirano of the Tokyo Institute of Technology, stressed that it isn’t 100 percent certain that K2-155d is indeed a habitable super-Earth with at least some of the necessary ingredients for life.

With this important disclaimer in mind, the researchers added that more information needs to be gathered to truly confirm whether or not the super-Earth called K2-155d could support life. This includes more specific estimates of host star K2-155’s radius and temperature, which can only be determined through follow-up research, which, according to Phys.org, may require the use of interferometric techniques. But the two new studies still yielded substantial takeaways, including the observation that planets orbiting red dwarfs might be similar to those that orbit stars with similar characteristics to the sun, though they may be smaller in number than those that orbit “solar-type stars.”

“Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research,” said Hirano.

Hirano further commented on the finding that planets that orbit red dwarfs have a similar radius gap to planets orbiting solar-type stars, saying that his team’s discovery was “unique,” and that astronomers are currently trying to figure out the reason behind the radius gap. Furthermore, he speculated that photoevaporation, a phenomenon where electromagnetic radiation strips away a planet’s atmosphere, might be the reason why there aren’t too many large planets close to their host stars, and that the metallic content of a host star could be linked to the size of the planets that orbit it.

Going forward, Hirano is optimistic that NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) would yield more information on potentially habitable super-Earths such as K2-155d. According to NASA’s overview page for the satellite, TESS will observe more than 200,000 stars for their transits, or instances when a planet passes right in front of its host. The space agency also hopes to document over 1,500 transiting exoplanet candidates with TESS, including about 500 which could be classified as Earth-sized or super-Earth planets.</s>Scientists report the existence of 15 new planets — including one ‘super-Earth’ that could harbor liquid water — orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system. These stars, known as red dwarfs, are of enormous interest for studies of planetary formation and evolution.

A research team led by Teruyuki Hirano of Tokyo Institute of Technology’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has validated 15 exoplanets orbiting red dwarf systems.

One of the brightest red dwarfs, K2-155 that is around 200 light years away from Earth, has three transiting super-Earths, which are slightly bigger than our own planet. Of those three super-Earths, the outermost planet, K2-155d, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, could be within the host star’s habitable zone.

The findings, published in the form of two papers in The Astronomical Journal, are based on data from NASA Kepler spacecraft’s second mission, K2, and follow-up observations using ground-based telescopes, including the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain.

The researchers found that K2-155d could potentially have liquid water on its surface based on three-dimensional global climate simulations (see Figure 1). Hirano expresses both excitement and restraint, as he says: “In our simulations, the atmosphere and the composition of the planet were assumed to be Earth-like, and there’s no guarantee that this is the case.”

A more precise estimate of the radius and temperature of the K2-155 star would be needed to conclude definitively whether K2-155d is habitable. Achieving such precision would require further studies, for example, using interferometric techniques.

A key outcome from the current studies was that planets orbiting red dwarfs may have remarkably similar characteristics to planets orbiting solar-type stars.

“It’s important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars,” says Hirano. “Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research.”

For example, while the so-called radius gap of planets around solar-type stars has been reported previously, this is the first time that researchers have shown a similar gap in planets around red dwarfs. (See Figure 2.) “This is a unique finding, and many theoretical astronomers are now investigating what causes this gap,” says Hirano.

He adds that the most likely explanation for the lack of large planets in the proximity of host stars is photoevaporation, which can strip away the envelope of the planetary atmosphere.

The researchers also investigated the relationship between planet radius and metallicity of the host star. “Large planets are only discovered around metal-rich stars,” Hirano says, “and what we found was consistent with our predictions. The few planets with a radius about three times that of Earth were found orbiting the most metal-rich red dwarfs.”

The studies were conducted as part of the KESPRINT collaboration, a group formed by the merger of KEST (Kepler Exoplanet Science Team) and ESPRINT (Equipo de Seguimiento de Planetas Rocosos Intepretando sus Transitos) in 2016.

With the planned launch of NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in April 2018, Hirano is hopeful that even more planets will be discovered. “TESS is expected to find many candidate planets around bright stars closer to Earth,” he says. “This will greatly facilitate follow-up observations, including investigation of planetary atmospheres and determining the precise orbit of the planets.”
• Teruyuki Hirano et al., “Exoplanets around Low-mass Stars Unveiled by K2,” AJ, 2018; doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaa9c1
• Teruyuki Hirano et al., “K2-155: A Bright Metal-poor M Dwarf with Three Transiting Super-Earths,” AJ, 2018; doi:10.3847/1538-3881/aaaa6e</s>The stars, known as red dwarfs, are of interest for studies of planetary formation and evolution, said the team led by Teruyuki Hirano from the Tokyo Institute of Technology

Scientists have discovered 15 new planets -- including one 'super-Earth' that could harbour liquid water -- orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system. The stars, known as red dwarfs, are of interest for studies of planetary formation and evolution, said the team led by Teruyuki Hirano from the Tokyo Institute of Technology.

"Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research," Hirano said. One of the brightest red dwarfs -- K2-155 that is around 200 light years away from Earth -- has three transiting "super-Earths", which are slightly bigger than our own planet.

Of those three "super-Earths", the outermost planet, K2-155d, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, could be within the host star's habitable zone, the researchers noted in the study appeared in The Astronomical Journal. The team found that K2-155d could potentially have liquid water on its surface based on three-dimensional global climate simulations.

To reach this conclusion, the team sifted through data from NASA Kepler spacecraft's second mission, K2, and follow-up observations using ground-based telescopes, including the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain.

A more precise estimate of the radius and temperature of the K2-155 star would be needed to conclude definitively whether K2-155d is habitable. Achieving such precision would require further studies, for example, using interferometric techniques, the researchers said. The researchers also investigated the relationship between planet radius and metallicity of the host star.

"Large planets are only discovered around metal-rich stars and what we found was consistent with our predictions. The few planets with a radius about three times that of Earth were found orbiting the most metal-rich red dwarfs," Hirano noted. With the planned launch of NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in April this year, Hirano is hopeful that even more planets will be discovered. "TESS is expected to find many candidate planets around bright stars closer to Earth," he said.

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever</s>Scientists have discovered 15 new planets - including one 'super-Earth' that could harbour liquid water - orbiting small, cool stars near our These stars, known as red dwarfs, are of enormous interest for studies of planetary formation and evolution. The team led by of in Japan validated 15 exoplanets orbiting red dwarf systems. One of the brightest red dwarfs, K2-155 that is around 200 light years away from Earth, has three transiting super-Earths, which are slightly bigger than our own planet. Of those three super-Earths, the outermost planet, K2-155d, with a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, could be within the host star's habitable zone. The findings, published in The Astronomical Journal, are based on data from NASA Kepler spacecraft's second mission, K2, and follow-up observations using ground-based telescopes, including the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain. The researchers found that K2-155d could potentially have liquid water on its surface based on 3D global climate simulations. A more precise estimate of the radius and temperature of the K2-155 star would be needed to conclude definitively whether K2-155d is habitable. Achieving such precision would require further studies, for example, using interferometric techniques, researchers said. A key outcome from the current studies was that planets orbiting red dwarfs may have remarkably similar characteristics to planets orbiting solar-type stars. "It's important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars," said Hirano. "Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research," he said.</s>Scientists have discovered 15 new planets, including a “super-Earth” that may have liquid water on its surface.

The planets are orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system that are known as “Red Dwarfs.”

One of the brightest Red Dwarfs, K2-155, has three “super-Earths,” one of which, K2-155d, could be within the star’s habitable zone. K2-155d, which has a radius 1.6 times that of Earth, may harbor liquid water, according to three-dimensional global climate simulations.

K2-155 is about 200 light years from Earth. A light year, which measures distance in space, equals 6 trillion miles.

The research also indicates that planets orbiting red dwarfs may be remarkably similar to planets orbiting stars that resemble the Sun, known as solar-type stars.

"It's important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars," said Teruyuki Hirano of Tokyo Institute of Technology's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, who led the research, in a statement. "Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research."

However, Hirano voiced caution about the conditions on K2-155d. "In our simulations, the atmosphere and the composition of the planet were assumed to be Earth-like, and there's no guarantee that this is the case,” he said.

ALIEN LIFE LOOMS? NEWLY DISCOVERED EXOPLANET MAY BE BEST CANDIDATE, EXPERTS SAY

More research on K2-155d’s temperature and radius is needed to confirm whether the planet is indeed habitable.

Scientists based their research on data from K2, the second mission of NASA’s Kepler spacecraft. Follow-up observations were made by the Subaru telescope in Hawaii and the Nordic Optical Telescope (NOT) in Spain.

The findings are published in two papers in The Astronomical Journal.

PLANETS IN GALAXIES BEYOND MILKY WAY SPOTTED FOR FIRST TIME

The find is the latest in a host of new planet discoveries. In February 2017, an international team of astronomers announced the discovery of 60 new planets orbiting stars close to Earth’s Solar System, including a rocky “super Earth.”

In the same month, NASA revealed the discovery of seven Earth-like planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1 40 light years from Earth. Three of the planets are in the “habitable zone” where liquid water can exist, according to scientists.

Two months later, in a separate research project, scientists reported that an exoplanet 40 light-years from Earth may be the best place to look for signs of life outside our solar system.

Earlier this year, for the first time, scientists announced the discovery of planets in galaxies beyond the Milky Way.

Using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory, a team of astrophysicists from the University of Oklahoma identified the extragalactic planets about 3.8 billion light years away. The space observatory helped scientists find about 2,000 objects with comparable mass to the Moon and Jupiter.</s>Scientists from the Tokyo Institute of Technology have discovered 15 new planets orbiting small, cool dwarf stars near our solar system, including one planet that may be habitable.

Their findings, recently published as two papers in The Astronomical Journal, are based on data from NASA Kepler spacecraft’s second mission (K2) and other follow-up observations from the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii and Spain's Nordic Optical Telescope.

Through their analysis, the team confirmed the existence of the 15 exoplanets orbiting the K2-155 red dwarf star, including three super-Earths — planets that are “somewhat larger cousins” of Earth, but smaller than Neptune.

Based on global climate simulations, the researchers also discovered that one of the three super-Earths (K2-155d) could hold liquid water on its surface, making it potentially habitable. K2-155d had a radius that is 1.6 times larger than that of Earth.

But, lead researcher Teruyuki Hirano said in a news release, "in our simulations, the atmosphere and the composition of the planet were assumed to be Earth-like, and there's no guarantee that this is the case."

Unlike the solar-type star in Earth’s solar system, habitable zones for red dwarf planets are typically much smaller and the planets orbiting the stars are much closer to the stars themselves, Tech Times reported.

This means that one side of the planet is “tidally locked” to the star, leading to potentially erratic storms that could deem the area unlivable.

To determine whether the planet truly is habitable, Hirano said more precise estimates of the radius and temperature of the K2-155 red dwarf star are necessary and would require further research.

It’s important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars,” Hirano added. “Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research.”

But the team noted a key outcome of their findings is how similar planets orbiting red dwarf stars may be to planets orbiting solar-type stars. In fact, this is the first time that researchers have shown a similar radius gap in both groups.

“This is a unique finding, and many theoretical astronomers are now investigating what causes this gap,” Hirano said.

According to NASA’s exoplanet archive, there are 2,342 Kepler confirmed planets as of March 13, 2018.</s>Scientists may have found our best chance for finding alien life.

Astronomers have discovered 15 new planets orbiting small, cool stars dubbed red dwarfs 'near' our solar system.

Among these new planets is a potentially habitable 'super-Earth' that could have liquid oceans like our own.

The planet, known as K2-155d, is 1.6 times the size of Earth and is in the host star's habitable zone 200 light years away.

The discovery was made by researchers led by Teruyuki Hirano of Tokyo Institute of Technology's Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences.

For a long time, scientists ruled out searching around red dwarfs because habitable zones around the stars are small.

Any planets orbiting them would be so close that one side would be constantly facing the star, making one side of the planet very hot and the other quite cold and dark.

The stars could be really useful for researchers looking at how planets form and evolve, according to the findings based on data from Nasa Kepler spacecraft's second mission, K2.

Based on climate simulations, researchers say the new Earth-like planet, K2-155d, could have liquid water on the surface.

Scientists won't know for certain whether the planet is habitable until they can more accurately work out its star's size and temperature.

They would need further studies to do this, researchers say.

'In our simulations, the atmosphere and the composition of the planet were assumed to be Earth-like, and there's no guarantee that this is the case', said Dr Hirano.

Although we could not travel there with today's technology, future generations of super-fast space craft could conceivably reach the planet.

Currently on the fastest spacecraft - New Horizons, which travels at 32,000pmh (51,500kmh) - it would take more than 4 million years to get to K2-155d.

A key outcome from the current studies was that planets orbiting red dwarfs may have remarkably similar characteristics to planets orbiting solar-type stars.

A red dwarf is a small and relatively cool star and is by far the most common type of star in the Milky Way.

Due to their low luminosity, they are often not observed and from Earth not one is visible with the naked eye.

Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the sun, is a red dwarf as are 50 of the nearest 60 stars.

'It's important to note that the number of planets around red dwarfs is much smaller than the number around solar-type stars,' said Dr Hirano.

'Red dwarf systems, especially coolest red dwarfs, are just beginning to be investigated, so they are very exciting targets for future exoplanet research.'

With the planned launch of Nasa's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in April 2018, Dr Hirano is hopeful that even more planets will be discovered.

'TESS is expected to find many candidate planets around bright stars closer to Earth,' he said.

'This will greatly facilitate follow-up observations, including investigation of planetary atmospheres and determining the precise orbit of the planets.'

TESS will use four wide-field cameras to scan nearly the entire sky, monitoring the nearest and brightest stars for temporary dips in the light they emit that may indicate a planet passing in front - an event known as a transit.

Developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research and Lincoln Laboratory, the TESS cameras will use their wide field of view to monitor more than 200,000 stars for transits.
K2-155d, a Super-Earth exoplanet, is discovered and could produce life.