Alpha Centauri may have small habitable Earth-like planets

New Delhi : Yale astronomers have claimed to have found Earth-like habitable planet at the nearby Alpha Centauri star system. 

The study led by astronomer Debra Fischer and graduate student Lily Zhao claims that we might have been overlooking a great life prospects in the tiny planets. They also ruled out possibility of finding large planets which have been claimed in previous models.

The latest findings from the study have been published in the peer-reviewed Astronomical Journal.

Debra Fischer has been associated with the search for exoplanets for decades now. She says, "Because Alpha Centauri is so close, it is our first stop outside our solar system. There are almost certain to be small, rocky planets around Alpha Centauri A and B."

Alpha Centauri system is located about 4.2 light-years (24.9 trillion miles) away from Earth. It has three stars: Centauri A, Centauri B, and Proxima Centauri. 

Last year, astronomers had found an Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri. This planet is the closest possible abode for an extraterrestrial civilization.

The astronomers hope the new information provided by their study will help other astronomers prioritize their efforts to detect additional planets in the Alpha Centauri system.