Earth 2.0: Proposed Space Mission Sets Eyes On Finding Alternatives To Earth

With hopes of finding Earth 2.0, Chinese scientists are planning to survey planets outside our solar system in the Milky Way galaxy.If a planet like Earth is found orbiting a star (like our Sun) in a habitable zone, it means that humanity might actually have a shot at becoming an interstellar speciesSo far, humans have found 5,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way, especially with help from NASA's Kepler telescope that is now defunct

China wants to find the first viable alternative to Earth in an upcoming hunt for exoplanets. With hopes of finding Earth 2.0, Chinese scientists are planning to survey planets outside our solar system in the Milky Way galaxy.

If a planet like Earth is found orbiting a star (like our Sun) in a habitable zone, it means that humanity might actually have a shot at becoming an interstellar species. What would the planet need? The right conditions for liquid water, and a result for life, to exist.

So far, humans have found 5,000 exoplanets in the Milky Way, especially with help from NASA's Kepler telescope that is now defunct. While some planets of these 5,000 did have Earth-like characteristics, none of them truly fit the definition of an Earth 2.0.

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According to Scientific American, the Chinese mission is actually called "Earth 2.0" and is funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. If its designs pass a review in June, the team will begin building a spacecraft that could be launched by 2026.

This satellite will have seven telescopes that will observe the sky for four years. The telescopes will look for exoplanets by finding small changes in a star's brightness, implying that a planet had passed in front of it.

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Earth 2.0's telescopes will be looking at 1.2 million stars spread across a 500-square-degree patch of sky - about five times wider than Kepler's view. In addition, it will be able to observe stars that are dimmer and farther off. According to Jian Ge, the astronomer behind the Earth 2.0 mission at the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the satellite could be 10-15 times more powerful than NASA's Kepler telescope.

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It will have six telescopes to scan the skies and another one to observe rogue planets - with no star to orbit around. This could become the first gravitational microlensing telescope in space if all goes well.

Also read: Activity On Our Sun Is Exceeding All Predictions: What Does This Mean For Earth?

What do you think about the scope of finding another Earth? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Ye, Y. N. M. (2022, April 13). China Is Hatching a Plan to Find Earth 2.0. Scientific American.