LIFE ON PROXIMA
Imagine a city on Proxima Centauri b, a planet orbiting our nearest star, just over four light-years away. Proxima b is located in the habitable zone, meaning liquid water could exist there, sparking dreams of a future human settlement.
What is special about Proxima?Among the known stars, Proxima Centauri has been the closest star to the Sun for about 32,000 years and will be so for about another 25,000 years, after which Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B will alternate approximately every 79.91 years as the closest star to the Sun.
In this city, futuristic buildings glow with soft, energy-efficient lights powered by advanced solar technology harnessing the red light of Proxima Centauri. Skyscrapers and homes are designed to withstand the planet’s harsh conditions, including intense radiation and extreme weather, with domes shielding the inhabitants.
At night, the cityscape would resemble a constellation of lights from space, beaming signals of life into the cosmos. The city's infrastructure would blend nature with technology, using clean energy sources like wind and geothermal power. Greenhouses would provide food, and artificial intelligence would help run efficient, self-sustaining systems.
An alien planet
So what's the deal with this Earth-sized planet? Proxima b is "one of the most interesting planets known in the solar neighborhood," Alejandro Suarez Mascareño, the lead author on this study, said in the same statement.
This strange alien planet orbits Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our sun. Because the planet orbits right in the middle of its star's habitable zone, it's possible that liquid water — and potentially even life — could exist there. Because of its Earth-like mass, scientists believe that, not only could liquid water exist on Proxima b, it could also be a rocky, terrestrial planet similar to Earth.
But Proxima b orbits around a star that, while close to our solar system, is also much dimmer, and much less massive than our sun. Researchers think that the exoplanet is tidally locked and in synchronous rotation with its star, meaning that one side is always facing the star and one is always facing away: a light side and a dark side.
In addition, it's unclear if, Proxima b has an atmosphere. The planet lies very close to its star, completing one orbit every 11 Earth days. So, some researchers think that radiation coming from Proxima Centauri might have stripped away Proxima b's air, making it impossible for the alien planet's surface to hold onto liquid water. As scientists continue to study this system with new and better technology, we will be able to better understand what it's really like on Proxima b.
This city, a symbol of human resilience and innovation, would be a beacon of exploration, showing that even light-years away, humanity can adapt and thrive in the most alien of environments.
THINGS YOU MAY NOT KNOW: Discovered in 2016, Proxima Centauri b is a planet with a mass of at least 1.17 times that of Earth. Positioned at a distance of about 0.05 astronomical units (7.5 million kilometers) from Proxima Centauri, it resides within the star's habitable zone, where liquid water could potentially exist on its surface.
THINGS YOU MAY WANT TO SAVE: Earth high-tech robots they are obsolete on planet Proxima which has robots ten thousand smarter than earth robots?
ZENTRAVELER SAYS: Mating with Proxima Girls is out of this World?
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