Studies show that humans can survive in ‘Super-Earth’ which is sixty light years away from earth. The Super-Earth is Barnard b (or GJ 699 b) which is a recently discovered one. It is the second nearest star system to the Earth. The researchers say that it will allow human life to cherish.
Edward Guinan, the Villanova University Astrophysicist said that geothermal heating could support ‘life zones’ under its surface, akin to subsurface lakes found in Antarctica. “We note that the surface temperature on Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is similar to Barnard b but, because of tidal heating, Europa probably has liquid oceans under its icy surface. If water is present, geothermal heating (volcanic plumes, vents etc.) could result in liquid water ‘life zones’ under a possible icy surface”, the researchers said.
They also added that Barnard’s Star has been on our radar for a long time. It is about twice as old as the Sun – about 9 billion years old compared to 4.6 billion years for the Sun. Barnard’s Star b, with a mass just over three times that of the Earth, orbits Barnard’s Star, a red dwarf star, every 233 days and at roughly the same distance that Mercury orbits the Sun.
The Barnard’s Star b is thought to be rocky and at least 3.2 times larger than the earth. Barnard’s Star is named after Yerkes Observatory’s E.E. Barnard (1857-1923), who discovered it in 1916.
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