Earth Sized World Discovered Just 40 Light Years Away

Gliese 12 b was discovered using data from TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) , its host Star is a cool red dwarf which observations show isn't prone to outbursts which is good news for Atmosphere retention and habitability and the Planet is somewhere between Earth and Venus sized which is also good for habitability , it's the closest Earth 2.0 candidate we've yet found at just 40 Light Years Away.

Its parent Star , Gliese 12 , is only about 27% of our Sun's size with 60% of the Sun’s surface temperature , Gliese 12 b has an orbital period of just over 12 Earth days so given its proximity to the Star it will likely be tidally locked , it's unknown at present if the planet has an atmosphere but if it doesn't the surface temp would be about 42 degrees Celsius , if it has an atmosphere it will of course it'll be warmer but as it's likely tidally locked the night side will allow for a potentially habitable zone around the Planet as it circulates the atmosphere .... I postulate.

Astronomers say it's a unique candidate for further atmospheric study. Earth remains habitable, but Venus does not due to its complete loss of water. If Gliese 12 b retains some atmosphere, it could teach us a lot about the habitability pathways planets take as they develop.

TESS stares at a large swath of the sky for about a month at a time, tracking the brightness changes of tens of thousands of stars at intervals ranging from 20 seconds to 30 minutes. Capturing transits — brief, regular dimmings of stars caused by the passage of orbiting worlds — is one of the mission’s primary goals.

The host star, called Gliese 12, is a cool red dwarf located almost 40 light-years away in the constellation Pisces. The star is only about 27% of the Sun’s size, with about 60% of the Sun’s surface temperature. The new world, named Gliese 12 b, orbits every 12.8 days and is Earth’s size or slightly smaller — comparable to Venus. Assuming it has no atmosphere, the planet has a surface temperature estimated at around 107 degrees Fahrenheit (42 degrees Celsius).

The distance separating Gliese 12 and the new planet is just 7% of the distance between Earth and the Sun. The planet receives 1.6 times more energy from its star as Earth does from the Sun and about 85% of what Venus experiences.

One important factor in retaining an atmosphere is the storminess of its star. Red dwarfs tend to be magnetically active, resulting in frequent, powerful X-ray flares. However, analyses by both teams conclude that Gliese 12 shows no signs of extreme behavior.
svs.gsfc.nasa.gov...

Now we need James Webb to start the search for Spock.
"live long and prosper"

a reply to: gortex

We also need to discard the "miles-per-hour" speed we tend to us of how fast we will allow alien ships to travel. A light-year is a good measure of distance in some fashion, but it tells us nothing about the ability of the capable velocity--if we even want to call it that--of a deep space cruiser. Apples and oranges sort of thing here, but many will scream regardless.

NASA’s Psyche mission fires up its futuristic electric engines

Ion propulsion isn’t powerful enough to launch a rocket from Earth, but they can still reach very high speeds over time. Right now, NASA says Psyche is traveling at 23 miles per second, or about 84,000mph, and will eventually reach 124,000mph. Thrusters like Psyche’s are generally useful because the lack of moving parts makes them durable, and they use less fuel, so they’re lighter and can be used on smaller spacecraft. Plus, they look cool when they’re turned on.