Tau Ceti Could Be An Inhabitable Planet Like Earth, Just 12 Light Years Away
Hey, good news everyone! After we're done ravaging the natural resources on this rock we call Earth and have turned it into an uninhabitable wasteland, there's another planet the human race can relocate to and nary skip a beat. Unfortunately, that planet is 12 light years away, which puts a small kink into our relocation plans.
The planet in question is one of five rocks orbiting Tau Ceti, a far away star that resembles the Sun, according to Science. It's a single, bright G-type star, so there's no second ball of flames and gas to pull planets away via gravity.
All five planets are said to lie closer to Tau Ceti than Mars does to the Sun, though only one is thought to be inhabitable. The three innermost planets, dubbed "b", "c," and "d," are likely too hot to support life, as they sit so close that they're able to complete an orbit in 14, 35, and 94 days, respectively.
Scientists have their eyes on "e," the fourth planet in the cluster and the most likely to sustain life. It's four times as large as Earth. If you lived there, you'd "age" quicker and live longer because your year would only be 168 days long, less than half that of Earth's. That's assuming it's not already inhabited.
The planet in question is one of five rocks orbiting Tau Ceti, a far away star that resembles the Sun, according to Science. It's a single, bright G-type star, so there's no second ball of flames and gas to pull planets away via gravity.
All five planets are said to lie closer to Tau Ceti than Mars does to the Sun, though only one is thought to be inhabitable. The three innermost planets, dubbed "b", "c," and "d," are likely too hot to support life, as they sit so close that they're able to complete an orbit in 14, 35, and 94 days, respectively.
Scientists have their eyes on "e," the fourth planet in the cluster and the most likely to sustain life. It's four times as large as Earth. If you lived there, you'd "age" quicker and live longer because your year would only be 168 days long, less than half that of Earth's. That's assuming it's not already inhabited.
