NASA, the United States space agency, using its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has spotted an exoplanet with three suns. Considering its close proximity to the earth and its potential for future observation, experts believe that planets like these could the key to unveiling mysteries surrounding alien life.
NASA scientists have named this exoplanet 'LTT 1445Ab', and it lies just 22.5 light-years away from the earth. Interestingly, this newly found planet orbits just one of its three red dwarf stars, and a complete orbit takes five days to complete. This exoplanet is speculated to be a third bigger than Earth, and it holds a temperature of about 320 degrees Fahrenheit.
"If you're standing on the surface of that planet, there are three suns in the sky, but two of them are pretty far away and small-looking. They're like two red, ominous eyes in the sky," Jennifer Winters, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and co-author of the study told New Scientist.
Scientists believe that this new exoplanet could be a future candidate to search for extraterrestrial life. As per experts, this planet could hold an atmosphere, and in the future, using advanced equipment, scientists can look for traces of gases like carbon dioxide in this exoplanet. It should be also noted that 'LTT 1445Ab' offers plenty of observation opportunities to scientists due to its speedy orbit around the sun.
A few months back, a research report prepared by an MIT student had suggested a new method to contact alien life that may be living in the deep nooks of the space. James Clarke, the researcher who conducted the study, revealed that beaming hot and bright lasers at exoplanets will attract the attention of advanced alien civilizations, and this method could bring alien life to the earth one day or the other.
