Astrophysicists from the University of Bern made a unique computer model. They were able to validate the theory that the 'habitable zone' planets orbiting low-mass red dwarf stars like Proxima Centauri are more likely to be the size of Earth and contain large amounts of water on their surface.
This study was facilitated by the discovery in August 2016 of an exoplanet in orbit in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, which caused a certain resonance in scientific circles. This star is the closest star to our Sun, but 10 times less massive and 500 times fainter. This discovery, together with the discovery in May 2016 of a similar planet orbiting a star with an even lower mass (Trappist-1), convinced astronomers that such red dwarfs (as these low-mass stars are called) could create a characteristic environment for the existence of terrestrial planets.
The first simulation on this topic was carried out by scientists Yann Alibert and Willie Benz from the Swiss Center for Space Research at the University of Bern, who calculated an algorithm for the formation of planets in the orbit of a star whose mass is 10 times less than that of the Sun.
“Thanks to our model, we were able to reproduce planets that are similar in terms of mass and rotation period to those recently observed,” Alibert said of the results of his study, published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. “Most interestingly, we found that planets in close orbits around stars of this type tend to range from 0.5 to 1.5 Earth radii. Subsequent observations will show how right we are. '
Sources: Phys
