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Luyten b

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

An artist shows two super-dense stars called neutron stars merging in space, creating a powerful explosion that helps make heavy elements like gold.

Luyten b, also known as Gliese 273b, is an exciting discovery in the world of space! It is a type of planet called an exoplanet, which means it orbits a star that is not our Sun. This special planet is about 12 light-years away from us, making it one of the closest planets we know of that might be able to support life.

Luyten b orbits a cool red star called Luyten's Star. It is what scientists call a "super-Earth," meaning it is a bit bigger and heavier than our Earth. This planet is about 2.89 times the mass of Earth. Even though it is far away, it sits in what is known as the habitable zone. This is an area around a star where conditions might be just right for liquid water to exist on a planet's surface—a key ingredient for life as we know it.

One amazing fact about Luyten b is that it gets only about 6% more light from its star than Earth does from the Sun. This makes it a very good candidate for possibly having conditions suitable for life. Scientists discovered Luyten b in June 2017, along with another planet called Gliese 273c. With only three other known planets closer to us—Proxima Centauri b, Ross 128 b, and GJ 1061 d—Luyten b stands out as one of the nearest places we might one day look for life beyond Earth.

Characteristics

Luyten b is a super-Earth, meaning it is slightly larger than our planet Earth but smaller than planets like Uranus or Neptune. Scientists think it has a mass about three times that of Earth and a radius about 1.5 times larger. Because it is not very massive, Luyten b is probably a rocky planet.

Luyten b orbits its star, Luyten's Star, very closely. It completes one orbit, or year, in just 18.6 days, much faster than Earth. Even though it is close to its star, the star is very dim, so the planet sits in the habitable zone where conditions might be right for liquid water. This makes Luyten b one of the closest known planets that could possibly support life, being only 12 light-years from us.

Luyten's Star is a smaller, cooler red dwarf star with less mass and brightness than our Sun. Unlike some other red dwarfs, Luyten's Star is quiet and steady, making it a good home for possible planets like Luyten b.

Active SETI

In October 2017 and 2018, the nonprofit organization METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) sent a message called "Sónar Calling GJ273b" to the planet. The message included short musical pieces and a scientific guide, hoping to contact any possible intelligent life there.

Images

The Crab Nebula is the glowing remains of a star that exploded long ago, showing colorful clouds of gas and energy from space.
An artist's imagining of standing on the surface of the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1f, showing the day and night sides and other nearby planets visible in the sky.
An artist's drawing showing ʻOumuamua, the first known object from another star system to visit our Solar System.
A stunning view of Earth rising over the Moon, captured by astronauts during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968.
An artist's depiction of HE 1523-0901, one of the oldest known stars in our galaxy, located about 7500 light years from Earth.

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Luyten b, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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