Peering deep into the heart of our Milky Way galaxy, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope reveals a rich tapestry of more than half a million stars. Scientists announced Thursday evidence of a new planet. NASA via Hubble Space Telescope<\/p>\n
Aug. 7 (UPI) — NASA’s James Webb<\/a> Space Telescope has discovered evidence of a giant planet orbiting a star in the solar system closest to Earth, the administration announced Thursday.<\/p>\n The Alpha Centauri triple star system, four light-years from Earth, has long been at the center of scientists’ search for life on other planets. This discovery was an important step forward in that search, they said.\n<\/p>\n “While there are three confirmed plants orbiting Proxima Centauri, the presence of other worlds surrounding Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B has proved challenging to confirm,” a release from NASA said<\/a>.<\/p>\n Alpha Centauri A, Alpha Centauri B and the faint red dwarf star Proxima Centauri comprise the bigger Alpha Centauri, which is visible in the far southern sky.<\/p>\n The discovery announced Thursday provides the strongest evidence yet of a gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, and has been accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal Letters.<\/p>\n “If confirmed, the planet would be the closest to Earth that orbits the habitable zone of a Sun-like star,” the NASA release continued. “However, because the planet candidate is a gas giant, scientists say it would not support life as we know it.”\n<\/p>\n