New data obtained with the ESPRESSO spectrograph.

An international team of scientists using the ESPRESSO spectrograph confirmed that the nearest star to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, indeed there is a planet similar to Earth. The planet mass is 1.17 times larger than the earth located in the habitable zone of a star and revolves around it in 11.2 earth days, writes zn.ua.

The assumption of the existence of the planet Proxima Centauri In the first put forward four years ago. Then the same team of astronomers using the HARPS spectrograph noticed in weak fluctuations in the velocity of the star, which could be explained by the presence of a sufficiently large celestial body.

To confirm that the planet really exists, let the ESPRESSO spectrograph mounted on ESO’s Very large telescope. ESPRESSO measured radial velocity of a star located 4.2 light years from the Sun, up to 30 cm/sec. This is three times more precise measurement than those allowed to hold the HARPS. Also, the new spectrograph allowed us to more accurately determine the mass of the planet.

Scientists say that the distance from the planet to the star is about 20 times less than from Earth to the Sun, Proxima receives a comparable amount of energy. That is, the planet water can exist in liquid form and potential conditions for the emergence of life.

However, to call the planet a potential candidate for the search for alien life yet. Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf that actively bombards the planet with x-rays, so the life on the planet can only develop in the presence of a dense atmosphere.