European astronomers have recently discovered three "super earths". What is "Super Earth"?

"Super Earth", also known as super terrestrial planets, refers to those planets whose environment may be similar to that of the Earth, but their mass is several times larger. Scientists generally suspect that there may be water and life on such planets, so it is of great research value. Scientists at the Geneva Observatory in Switzerland announced at the academic conference held in France on June 16 that they had discovered five new "super earths".

Among the five "super-earths" discovered this time, three are located in the direction of easels and swordfish, 42 light years away from the earth, and their mass is 4.2 times, 6.7 times and 9.4 times that of the earth respectively. These three "super earths" revolve around a star slightly smaller than the sun. Period of revolution is 4 days, 10 and 20 days respectively. The fourth "super earth" revolves around the star HD.

18 1433 revolution with a period of 9.5 days. The star HD 18 1433 also attracts a planet similar to Jupiter, and the period of revolution lasts for three years. The fifth "super earth" has 22 times the mass of the earth and revolves once every four days.

Since 1995 discovered the first "super earth", astronomers have successively detected more than 270, most of which are as huge as Jupiter and Saturn, and few planets are similar in size to the earth. Because most "super-Earths" are too far away from us, astronomers can't directly observe them with the naked eye through ordinary astronomical telescopes, and can only "indirectly measure" the existence of "super-Earths" through detection means such as radio waves or spectral analysis. Fran? ois, a scientist at the Paris Astronomical Association, said: "The minimum planet mass is 65438+100000 times that of a star, and only high-precision HARPS observation equipment can detect it."

This time, astronomers can find five "super earths" at once, and they also use this kind of piano.

"High-precision radial velocity planetary searcher". This kind of equipment is usually called "planet hunter", with an optical aperture of 3.6 meters, and stands at the top of Le Sheila Mountain at the southern end of Chile's Atacama Desert. Since it was put into use in 2004, 45 "super earths" have been detected.

Astronomer Mel said that the "super earth" that has been discovered is only the tip of the iceberg. With the progress of modern observation methods and the new generation of technological innovation, the speed of discovering "super earth" will be faster and faster. Swiss astronomer Stephen Udry said: "In a year or two, we may find a planet suitable for human habitation that revolves around a star like the sun." Once such a planet is discovered, the interstellar migration that often occurs in science fiction will probably become a reality.