Chapter 260 Discovery of the Second Earth
Gillis 581 is a star in the Libra galaxy and is in the red dwarf stage. In the vast universe, there are countless such red dwarf stars, so they are not conspicuous.
This star is 20.5 light-years away from Kickball. Considering the vastness of space, this distance is considered very close. Therefore, Gillis 581 is relatively easy to be observed by the observatory, and more observation data has been obtained.
Gillis 581 is just an ordinary red dwarf star. There is nothing special about it, and it is not typical. Probably no one pays attention to the data of this kind of ordinary star. It is estimated that only people who specialize in studying red dwarf stars Only people will pay a little attention.
However, after reading the information provided by the devil, Zhang Wei knew that a planet very similar to the earth, Gillis 581C, is orbiting this red dwarf star.
Looking at the data of Gillis 581, Zhang Wei suddenly said: "Professor Li, stop for a moment."
"What's wrong?" Professor Li asked.
"Let me take a look at the orbital data of Gillis 581."
"Orbital data? Is there any problem?" Professor Li also looked at the computer screen.
“Have you noticed that there is a deviation in this orbital data.”
"The celestial bodies in the universe do not all move in completely regular orbits. Many reasons can cause the orbits of celestial bodies to deflect. For example, the gravity between celestial bodies, celestial events such as supernova explosions, the impact of external celestial bodies, double stars or multiple The impact of star systems and so on, it’s not a big deal,” Professor Li explained.
"What do you think is the orbital deviation of Gillis 581?" Zhang Wei asked.
"Well, we have to take a look at the conditions of celestial bodies near this star during the same time period." Professor Li was very cautious.
"If there is no supernova explosion, no impact from external celestial bodies, and no influence from binary or multi-star systems, does that mean that this orbital deviation is caused by gravity? If it is caused by gravity, then it will not Could it be a planet?" Zhang Wei continued.
“You mean, this Gillis 581 is surrounded by planets?”
"Yes, that's what I mean!" Zhang Wei nodded.
Professor Li chuckled: "Teacher Xiao Zhang, you don't want to say that you discovered a new planet, do you?"
"Yes! "Zhang Wei nodded again.
"Teacher Xiao Zhang, have you often seen in the news that a certain astronomy enthusiast discovered a new star, and then he could name it after himself, so you also want to name it for yourself An asteroid?
Not to mention that every celestial body in the universe has its own naming rules. Just talking about the discovery of planets is actually not a big deal. According to current human observations, more than 90% of them are in the Milky Way. Stars have planets, the total number is about 280 billion
In other words, if you want to name a planet after yourself, you can choose more than 40 planets per capita in the Milky Way alone.
This is just the Milky Way. If you look at the entire universe, the number is endless! So even if you can prove that Gillis 581 has a planet, it doesn't make much sense. ”
“Isn’t it meaningful? Zhang Wei said that he did not believe in this evil, so he said: "Professor Li, can you give me a copy of the orbital data and spectral data of Gillis 581?" "
"What? Are you really hooked on this Gillis 581? "
"I think it's very interesting. I want to calculate the data of the planets surrounding Gillis 581. "Zhang Wei asked with a smile.
"Okay, are you really interested in astronomy? If you really plan to come to us, then we welcome you with both hands! I will report to the principal immediately!"
"You must not let me do this again. I understand your major! I’m thinking about starting from analyzing this Gillis 581.” Zhang Wei said with a smile.
"Okay, I'll give you the data, but do you know how to calculate it?" Professor Li asked.
“I don’t understand, Professor Li, do you want to come with us? Then you can teach me how to calculate.”
“I don’t have the time to play with you!” Professor Li shook his head. shook his head.
"Let's do this, you can find me two graduate students who can calculate! Don't worry, I'll take care of the food!"
"Okay! The semester has just started anyway, and many projects haven't started yet. There are a few graduate students , I have nothing to do now, so I will lend it to you for two days.”
……
In the universe, stars are relatively easy to observe. After all, stars are all luminous. Look up. In the starry sky, a certain bright spot you see may be a star hundreds of thousands of light years away.
But planets are not that easy to see. Stars that are slightly farther away cannot be captured by optical telescopes. At this time, some scientific methods need to be used.
For example, radio telescopes mainly detect and collect radio wave signals, and by analyzing these signals, we can obtain the physical characteristics of planets.
Another example is the transit method, which is to observe a star. When a planet passes in front of the star, it will inevitably block part of the star's light. By observing the changes in light and brightness, the planet can be determined, and it can also Based on the transit time, depth and other parameters, the mass, diameter and orbit of the star are calculated.
Of course, the most reliable method is to collect spectral data based on the Doppler effect, and then calculate the radial velocity of the planet relative to the star through the wavelength of the object's radiation and the red shift and blue shift of the star's spectrum. changes, thereby inferring the existence of planets, as well as orbital information.
This is the method Zhang Wei plans to use.
If other methods are used, it may also attract doubts from others. But mathematical calculation results cannot lie. As long as the original data is the same, no matter who does the calculation, the result obtained will be one month.
But in terms of astronomy, Zhang Wei really didn't do much research. Even if he had all the data given by the devil, his eyesight was blank. He had no idea how to calculate it or why it was calculated in this way.
So Zhang Wei originally planned to find a professor in astronomy and physics to work with him. For example, Professor Li in front of him looked very pleasing to the eye and seemed to be a good fit.
But at this time, Professor Li was keen on the data provided by the Rasla Observatory and had no time to pay attention to Zhang Wei.
In this case, we can only benefit the two graduate students.
The graduate students at Tsinghua University are quite good, and they know the calculation methods of the association.
As for Zhang Wei, although his eyes were darkened, it did not affect him in directing the work of graduate students. This is just like when he was engaged in scientific research before. He just needs to perform calculations according to the direction of the data provided by the devil.
And it’s easier than doing scientific research. To engage in scientific research, you still need to conduct experiments. There are too many uncertainties in the experimental process. Temperature, reagents, operating procedures, etc. will all affect the results.
But simple calculations are not affected by these external factors. As long as the data is correct and input into the computer, the calculation results will appear quickly.
......
Two graduate students came to Zhang Wei with the calculation results, and one of them said:
"Teacher Zhang, this is the calculation result you want. Through calculation of the data, it can be determined that there is a planet revolving around the star Gillis 581. The following part is the orbit of the planet, but this is only a preliminary calculation. As a result, detailed data requires more precise calculations."
Zhang Wei took a look at the data and compared it with the orbital data provided by the devil, and found that this was not the planet Gillis 581C he was looking for, but. It is the planet Gillis 581B.
This is not the result Zhang Wei wants. Gillis 581B is not an Earth-like planet. There are many such planets in the universe and has no scientific research value.
"Change a set of data and continue the calculation!" Zhang Wei ordered.
"Teacher Zhang, which group should we change to?" the graduate student asked. "Well, let me think about it!" Zhang Wei said, looking at his watch, and then said: "You have been busy for a long time and you have worked hard. Go buy some afternoon tea, drinks, milk tea, coffee, snacks, buy whatever you want. ”
Zhang Wei took out a hundred yuan as he spoke, handed it over, and then warned: "You are not allowed to come back until you spend all the money!"
"Teacher Zhang, this is too much. "There's more."
"Bring me one too! I'm thirsty after staying here for a long time."
"Teacher Zhang, what would you like to drink?" ”
"Coke, big bottle, needs to be iced!" Zhang Wei said and sat in front, continuing to stare at the data as if thinking.
The two graduate students did not disturb Zhang Wei and happily went to buy snacks and drinks. One hundred yuan in 2006 could buy a lot of snacks and drinks.
After seeing the two graduate students leaving, Zhang Wei breathed a sigh of relief, and then found one of the many spectral data.
According to the information provided by the devil, this piece of data can calculate the planet Gillis 581C.
There is so much spectral data for a planet. If Zhang Wei directly found this data for calculation at the beginning, and then discovered the planet Gillis 581C, this would definitely arouse suspicion from others.
It’s a complete show, so let’s create some twists and turns!
The two graduate students were also upright. They really spent a hundred yuan before they came back. They bought a large bag of snacks and drinks and brought them back. They felt like salesmen on the train pushing carts.
After simply eating and drinking, the two graduate students began to calculate again, while Zhang Wei sat aside, holding a 2.5-liter large bottle of iced Coke and eating snacks.
I picked up a bag of Drunken Peanuts, which looked familiar. It seemed that Zhuge Xuegeng treated himself to this one when he was in Madrid.
“Zhuge, stingy, didn’t lie to me. I really bought these peanuts in Qingda Supermarket.”
I opened the package and took a bite, and found that the taste was different. The package in my hand was obviously much more delicious.
“I understand, this stingy Zhuge, the peanuts he treated me to in Madrid were all gone! He must have bought them just before the due date for a bargain.”
…
The two graduate students once again presented the calculation data to Zhang Wei.
Zhang Wei took a closer look and found that this was exactly the orbit data of the planet Gillis 581C.
"Using the orbital data of this planet, we should be able to calculate the mass and diameter of this planet, right?" Zhang Wei asked.
"It can be calculated. The principle is Kepler's third law. The cube of the planet's revolution period is proportional to the square of the planet's average distance. We can use the revolution period and revolution radius of the planet around the star, Calculate the mass of the planet. As for the diameter of the planet, we still have to rely on the spectrum to estimate it, but there will be some errors. "So, can the temperature on the planet be calculated?" Zhang Wei asked again.
“The temperature of the planet’s surface depends on the distance from the star, as well as the albedo and emissivity of the planet. There is a Stefan-Boltzmann law in physics: a black body’s unit surface area changes in unit time The total energy of internal radiation is proportional to the fourth power of its surface temperature.
We now have spectral data, so we can use spectroscopy, which is analyzing the spectrum of the planet's reflection or emission, to deduce its temperature. >
Generally speaking, the luminous characteristics of a massive celestial body can be approximately regarded as an absolute black body, and then the temperature of this celestial body can be obtained according to the energy distribution of its spectrum at each wavelength point and corresponding to Planck's formula.
This method also works for planets, because all objects above absolute zero emit infrared light. "
"Okay, I want these data! "Zhang Wei said immediately.
The two graduate students looked at each other, and one of them said: "Teacher Zhang Wei, did you discover anything from this orbital data? "
"Something has been discovered, but I am not sure yet. At this stage, I am still just guessing. But if the conjecture comes true, it is likely to be a big discovery. ”
Zhang Wei paused for a moment, then continued: "If it is really a big discovery, it will be enough for your department to open a big project. Don't worry, I will personally tell the director of your department when the time comes to let you join the research group, and you will be in the research group." Here, I will arrange a project for you to do!”
After hearing Zhang Wei’s words, the two of them were ecstatic and went to calculate happily.
……
The discovery of Gillis 581c has a landmark significance in astronomy, and can even be said to be one of the greatest astronomical discoveries in the first decade of the 21st century.
First of all, this is the first planet discovered by humans that may be suitable for human habitation. This shows that in the vast universe, there may be planets with an environment similar to the earth. And since the earth can breed life, it means that other interests with similar environments may also breed life.
Even if there is no life on Gillis 581c, since the environment of this planet is similar to that of the earth, when the sun becomes a red giant in the future and the earth is no longer suitable for human survival, humans can immigrate to this planet and continue human civilization.
Of course, this is obviously the idea of foreign scientists. Foreigners always think about moving away after the fuss is over, and wandering around the earth. This idea definitely does not exist in the thinking of foreigners.
Of course, the exploration of extraterrestrial life and interstellar immigration are still very early for mankind at this stage. But now people can still study the formation and evolution of Earth-like planets through the planet Gillis 581c.
……
Zhang Wei came to Professor Li with the calculated results.
Professor Li was very busy, and if it weren't for Zhang Wei, he wouldn't even bother to pay attention.
"Teacher Xiao Zhang, I have a data analysis meeting over there. Please keep your story short!"
"Professor Li, I discovered three planets around the star Gillis 581. , this is the calculated data, please take a look."
"You really found the planet!" Professor Li impatiently took the data and read it at a glance.
Zhang Wei opened his mouth and reminded: "Professor Li, please focus on this, Gillis 581c!"
"581c, is there anything special?"
Professor Li first looked at the calculated orbit data, which revolves around the star Gillis 581 with a 14-day orbital period, but saw no bright spots.
Looking at the calculated mass of the planet again, he frowned slightly.
"The mass is about 5 to 7 times that of the Earth, and the gravity is about 1.5 to 1.7 times that of the Earth. Based on spectral data, it is estimated that its average temperature is between 0 degrees Celsius and 40 degrees Celsius!"
Professor Li suddenly took a breath, and his face was full of surprise.
0 to 40 degrees Celsius, meaning water can remain liquid!
As long as there is water, there is the possibility of life!
This Gillis 581c may be the second Earth!
If there really is a second Earth, it would be an epic discovery in astronomy!
(End of this chapter)