Where We Would Send The Ark: The Best Exoplanets Within 25 Light-Years

As a seasoned space enthusiast who has spent countless nights gazing at the cosmos, I must say that the discoveries of these exoplanets like Teegarden’s Star b, Gliese 1002 b and c, and Ross 128 b have filled me with awe and wonder. The prospect of finding potentially habitable worlds outside our own solar system is truly exhilarating!

The immensity of the universe is beyond comprehension, as Douglas Adams put it, “You simply won’t be able to grasp just how enormously, incredibly, mind-bogglingly big it is.” Even our closest stellar companions are billions upon billions of miles apart. Measurements to exoplanets aren’t in feet or miles, but in light-years. In the science fiction series SYFY‘s The Ark, humanity sends the Ark One (a colossal interstellar spacecraft housing hundreds of explorers) on a journey to Proxima Centauri b, an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star that’s approximately 4.2 light-years away from us.

As a space-faring gamer, I’ve got to say, Prox b might not be my top pick for a vacation spot or a new home planet. It’s snuggling up pretty close to its star, and it’s likely tidally locked, meaning one side is always facing the star while the other is in eternal darkness. But when you’re talking about cosmic distances, closeness matters a lot. So, Prox b might not be the coziest neighbor, but it sure does have its perks when it comes to exploring the vastness of space!

When humans eventually embark on a voyage to another star system, it’s crucial to factor in both the distance of the journey and the nature of the planet we will encounter upon arrival. With this in mind, here are some recommended confirmed exoplanets for future human colonization.

For More on Exoplanets:

A recent study indicates that approximately one-third of planets might be habitable, as water vapor has been detected in the atmosphere of an Earth-like exoplanet called GJ 9872d. The James Webb Space Telescope is examining a potential indication of extraterrestrial life on K2-18 b.

How many potentially habitable exoplanets are there?

Where We Would Send The Ark: The Best Exoplanets Within 25 Light-Years

As an enthusiastic space explorer, I’m constantly amazed by NASA’s Exoplanet Archive, a dynamic database housing over 5,000 confirmed exoplanets and potential candidates yet to be verified. Among these celestial bodies, many are within reach, so to speak, but only a select few might offer conditions comparable to our own comfort zone.

After removing the Hot Jupiters, Mini-Neptunes, and Ice Giants, only a few Earth-like terrestrial planets remain. Many of these planets are situated near their stars, becoming tidally locked, meaning one side of the planet is perpetually facing the intense heat of daylight. The surface temperatures on such planets can reach extraordinary levels, boiling on one side and freezing on the other. It’s likely that Proxima Centauri b, being so close to its star, follows a similar pattern.

The Ark circumvents such issues by utilizing sophisticated technology that can rotate a planet via the adjustment of its magnetic field. In the absence of such technological breakthroughs, we’ll need to steer our spaceships towards planets resembling ours a bit more closely.

A Note on Naming Conventions

Star names share some similarities with human names, as they often incorporate parts derived from their parent (or host) stars, while the remaining portions denote either when they were discovered or their location within their own stellar system.

In simpler terms, every star has a primary name, and for Proxima Centauri, its full name is Proxima Centauri A. When scientists discover planets outside our solar system (exoplanets), they label the first one found as ‘b’, the second as ‘c’, and so on. If multiple exoplanets are discovered at the same time, they’re named in order of their distance from the star, starting with ‘b’. The destination planet for The Ark was the first exoplanet found around Proxima Centauri, hence it is called Proxima Centauri b. This naming convention often results in similar names for exoplanets that belong to the same star system.

How similar are exoplanets to the Earth?

The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) is a system for assessing similarity between discovered exoplanets and our home planet, Earth. This index assigns scores to distant planets, based on how closely they resemble Earth in various aspects such as size, density, gravitational pull, temperature, and so forth. It’s important to note that due to the limitations of current technology, not all data can be accurately gathered for these distant planets. As a result, astronomers must make educated guesses using the available information.

After all the information is compiled, exoplanets receive a score from 0 (no resemblance to Earth) to 1 (identical to Earth). This data is then used to create the Habitable Worlds Catalog, which lists the exoplanets with the greatest likelihood of being habitable among the approximately 6,000 discovered. In this list, they’ve identified around 70 potentially habitable planets, with about 29 of them likely to be rocky and possess liquid surface water.

Teegarden’s Star b

Situated approximately 12.5 light-years distant from us, Teegarden’s Star b is one of the nearest exoplanets found so far and shares many similarities with Earth. Preliminary examinations gave it an initial ESI score of almost perfect, at 0.97. Subsequent analysis yielded additional data which slightly decreased its score to around 0.9. In contrast, Proxima Centauri b’s ESI is 0.86.

Teegarden’s Star’s second celestial body, known as ‘b’, resides in the habitable region around a red dwarf star. This planet is exceptionally near its star, with an orbital distance of 0.0252 times the average Earth-Sun distance (astronomical units), which equates to approximately 2.5% of this distance. Given its proximity, the planet completes an orbit around its star in just five days.

If Earth were as near to the Sun as Teegarden’s Star, we’d be quickly incinerated. However, Teegarden’s Star is smaller and less luminous than our Sun, making it about 9% of its mass. Astronomers suggest a 60% probability of liquid water on its surface and just a 3% chance for a substantial atmosphere. Despite being 90% as promising in the cosmic context, it’s still quite unfavorable.

Gliese 1002 b and c

The star Gliese 1002 (also known as GJ 1002) is about 16 light-years from here. It’s a quiet red dwarf with no evidence of significant solar flare activity. That’s good news, because long-term solar flare activity at close proximity has a way of chewing off a planet’s atmosphere.

Back in 2022, I was thrilled to learn about the discovery of Gliese 1002 b, accompanied by its companion, Gliese 1002 c. These two celestial bodies circle within their parent star’s habitable zone. As for Gliese 1002 b, it’s not far off from Earth in terms of mass, weighing approximately 1.08 Earth masses, and only slightly larger in radius at 1.03 times that of our home planet. The surface temperatures are estimated to be around 10 degrees Fahrenheit – a bit chilly for us humans but positively balmy when compared to most other parts of the cosmos. Gliese 1002 c, on the other hand, is a tad larger, with roughly 1.36 Earth masses, and it completes its orbit every three weeks.

Ross 128 b

In the story ‘The Ark’, the planet Ross 128 b is often mentioned. This rocky world is approximately 1.4 times as massive as our Earth. It revolves around its star, Ross 128, at a distance of 0.0496 Astronomical Units (AU), which is roughly 4.6 million miles. For comparison, Earth’s average distance to the Sun is about 93 million miles.

At that distance, it completes a circular path around its star approximately every 10 days, meaning you’d celebrate a birthday about once every 1.5 weeks. It experiences roughly 38% more starlight at its surface compared to Earth and scientists predict temperatures on its surface suitable for liquid water if there’s an atmosphere present. Without one, the intense solar radiation would likely evaporate any existing water.

Looking back, I’ve come to realize that the best planet for us isn’t some distant exoplanet out there; it’s right here where we are. This world scores perfectly on the Earth Similarity Index, which is quite convenient since it’s only 0 light-years away! As much as the allure of exploration whispers like a siren song from the cosmos, it’s important to ponder: Couldn’t the tech that makes an exoplanet habitable be utilized to improve our own home instead? It’s simpler for us to tidy up our planetary living room and fix what’s broken here, rather than packing up and moving out. After all, despite its flaws (or perhaps more accurately, ours), Earth is the only place in the universe we know of that offers breathable air, a comfortable climate, and, most importantly, TV!

2024-08-22 23:47