寻找第二个地球

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中国科学家发现“超级地球”:标志中国科研团队寻找第二个地球迈出关键一步
Huan Qiu Wang Zi Xun· 2025-06-04 23:25
Core Viewpoint - A significant breakthrough has been achieved by a Chinese research team in the search for habitable exoplanets, discovering a "super-Earth" named Kepler-725c, which is approximately 10 times the mass of Earth, located in the habitable zone of a G9V-type star [1][3]. Group 1: Discovery and Methodology - The research team, led by the Yunnan Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, utilized Transit Timing Variation (TTV) technology to identify Kepler-725c, marking the first time this method has been applied in the habitable zone of a sun-like star [1][3]. - Kepler-725c orbits its host star, Kepler-725, in about 207.5 days, a period similar to Earth's orbital cycle [2]. - The TTV method allows for the detection of planets without needing to observe them directly, relying instead on the timing variations of another planet's transit to infer the presence of the hidden planet [3]. Group 2: Implications and Future Research - This discovery opens new avenues for finding Earth-like planets in habitable zones around sun-like stars, potentially leading to the identification of "Earth 2.0" [3]. - The research will support future Chinese space astronomy missions, such as the manned space program and the Earth 2.0 project, by providing new observational targets and techniques [3]. - The team plans to apply TTV technology to more exoplanet systems to uncover additional hidden planets in both sun-like and red dwarf star habitable zones [3].