Just 4.3 light-years away, Alpha Centauri A is shaping up to be more than just the star of a multibillion-dollar epic sci-fi James Cameron film series about blue aliens fighting capitalism and imperialism. Thanks to NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, astronomers may have spotted a gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A.
We might have an honest Pandora in the closest star system to Earth. Finally, we may all one day get the chance to prove we are worthy of riding Toruk Makto, one of the great leonopteryx of Pandora. Oh, I’m sorry. Have you not watched the first two Avatar movies a few times each? I pity you.
The potential planet (still labeled a candidate) seems to hang out in the “habitable zone,” a not-too-hot, not-too-cold orbital sweet spot where life could theoretically exist. But don’t get your hopes up for blue cat people. The planet itself is likely a gas giant roughly the size of Saturn or Jupiter, so it’s probably not exactly livable.
Possible Real-Life Pandora Found Near Alpha Centauri A
But gas giants often have a ton of moons orbiting them. That’s where the prospect of a habitable cosmic body outside of our own that could potentially sustain life becomes tantalizing to researchers.
NPR spoke with scientists like Caltech’s Charles Beichman and the University of Michigan’s Mary Anne Limbach, who believe this alien Saturn-like planet could have moons. Possibly even Mars-sized ones. If that’s the case, and if one of those moons has the right mix of elements, atmosphere, and a bit of luck, it might be capable of supporting life.
The reason this discovery is only surfacing now is that Alpha Centauri A and its companion star B have historically been challenging to research. Their brightness overloads instruments, and their gravitational interactions mess with standard detection methods.
But JWST’s infrared tech and fancy light-blocking masks cut through the glare and a costly pair of sunglasses.
Right now, the planet’s existence isn’t confirmed. Future observations are needed. If it does exist, and if it has a moon that’s the right size and composition, and if that moon hasn’t been fried by radiation or stripped of atmosphere… then yeah, sure, maybe we’ve got a Pandora-like in the solar system next door.
Will it have floating rock formations? Bioluminescent plants and animals? A tree that’s essentially a server that you can use to upload a living creature’s brain? Will it have Zoe Saldana?
Probably not. But did James Cameron kind of sort of maybe predict that Alpha Centauri A could have a habitable planet nearby? We’ll see, but so far, it’s looking possible.
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