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Australia could be the safest country if there is ever a nuclear apocalypse (msn.com)
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Widespread technological collapse
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent geopolitical tensions, fears of nuclear war have been in the air, prompting many to question what a nuclear conflict would mean for humanity and the planet.
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Devastating consequences
Any nuclear conflict would have a huge range of devastating consequences, from initial deaths in the direct blasts to the lingering effects of radiation, environmental pollution and famine.
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Survivors even in the most severe scenario
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The Sarmat RS-28 is ready for action
In April 2022, Russia successfully launched its RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile, proving it now had the capability to strike anywhere in the world with ease.
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Vladimir Putin's comments on the Sarmat RS-28
"This is a great, significant event in the development of promising weapons systems for the Russian army," Vladimir Putin said in a speech after the successful launch.
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A truly unique weapon
"This truly unique weapon will strengthen the combat potential of our Armed Forces, reliably ensure the security of Russia from external threats and make those who, in the heat of frantic, aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country, think twice," Putin added.
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Nicknamed the Satan II
Nicknamed the Satan II by NATO intelligence according to Business Insider, the RS-28 Sarmat is a truly terrifying weapon of war designed for maximum destruction.
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A few details on Putin's new missile
"Measuring around 112 feet long and weighing just over 211 tons, the liquid-fuel ICBM is capable of carrying more than a dozen nuclear warheads, which can destroy entire cities,” wrote Business Insider’s Sophie Ankel, who pulled her information from Vice.
Photo by Twitter @DrPippa
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Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles
“The warheads are known as Multiple Independently Targetable Re-Entry Vehicles,” Ankel added, “which means they can be sent to hit different targets at once.”
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Hitting multiple targets at once
One RS-28 missile could theoretically hit multiple targets and Military Today broke down some of the Sarmat’s new multiple re-try warhead options.
Photo by Twitter @M3t4_tr0n
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What can it carry?
“It can carry 10 Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRVs) with a blast yield of 0.75 MT each” Military Today wrote on their website.
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Other alternatives
“Alternatively it can carry 16 smaller MIRVs, or up to 24 Avangard hypersonic glide vehicles,” Military Today added. “It is the first Russian missile capable of deploying these highly maneuverable vehicles.”
Photo by Twitter @strategiecs
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More difficult to intercept
The military website added that the RS-28’s penetration aids had been improved, which they believe would make the missile far more difficult to intercept.
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How far can the Sarmat fly?
The RS-28 Sarmat is what the Center for Strategic Studies’ Missile Threat called a silo-based intercontinental ballistic missile and it has a range of 6200-11,000 miles.
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Replacing Russia's aging nukes
Missile Threat noted that the RS-28 was designed to replace Russia’s aging R-36 silo-based missile, which was designed by the Soviet Union in the late 1960s.
Photo by Twitter @DnKornev
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A force of sheer destructive power
What sets the RS-28 apart from other long-range devices is its sheer destructive power. Not only can Putin’s newest intercontinental ballistic missile be used to launch multiple warheads at once but it can also be switched to drop a single 10,000-kilogram payload.
Photo by Twitter @DnKornev
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Comparing the RS-28 to the bomb that destroyed Hiroshima
To put that number into perspective, the bomb that destroyed the city of Hiroshima during World War II had a total payload of 64 kilograms of highly-enriched uranium according to data from the World Nuclear Associatio
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The Satan II could destroy America
Alexei Zhuralev is a member of Russia’s Duma and explained how only a few RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missiles would be needed to totally destroy the United States.
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Only two Sarmat's needed to destroy the East Coast
“I will tell you absolutely competently that to destroy the entire East Coast of the United States, two Sarmat missiles are needed," Zhuravlev said during a May 2022 appearance on Russia-1 according to a translation from the New York Post.
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The West Coast would need four
“And the same goes for the West Coast,” Zhuravlev added. “Four missiles, and there will be nothing left,” comments that might not be too off the mark if we look at Military Today’s estimates of the RS-28 Sarmat’s destructive capabilities
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A single Sarmat could destroy three states...
“A single RS-28 missile with MIRVs can completely destroy 3 US states, such as Maryland, Vermont, and Rhode Island,” according to Military Today, a truly terrifying prospect for anyone opposing this deadly weapon.
Meet Satan II: the nuclear missile that gives Russia the edge over the United States (msn.com)
Is mass tourism destroying Greenland?
A growing industry
The climate emergency has a silver lining for the ever-growing international tourism industry. Places that were too cold before are now available to the public. One such place is Greenland which now has to battle with keeping its natural resources while taking advantage of touristic opportunities.
Is mass tourism destroying Greenland? (msn.com)
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The best chance of survival
And of course, those in the most resilient nations would stand the best chance of avoiding a pre-industrial collapse.
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Australia: the safest country to be in
Researchers have found that Australia, followed by its neighbour New Zealand, is the best placed country to survive a nuclear winter and help reboot a collapsed human civilisation.
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Iceland, Salomon and Vanuatu Islands
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Safe for an ‘abrupt sunlight-reducing catastrophe’
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The study compared 38 island countries
The authors compared 38 island countries on 13 factors they said could predict success as a post-apocalyptic survival state.
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Factors: food production, energy self-sufficiency…
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Australia and New Zealand: big agricultural producers
Australia and New Zealand, both robust agricultural producers and tucked away from the likely sites of northern hemisphere nuclear fallout, topped the list, with Australia performing best overall.
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Australia could feed tens of millions more
“Australia’s food supply buffer is gigantic,” the study reads, “with potential to feed many tens of millions of extra people.”
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Why Australia is at the top of the list
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Ties with the UK and US makes it more likely to become a target
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New Zeland’s nuclear-free status is an advantage
In this area, New Zealand displayed some advantages, the authors said, with its longstanding nuclear-free status
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Cushioned from extreme temperature
Its resilience in the event of an abrupt drop in global temperature prompted by a period of darkness (everywhere in New Zealand is relatively close to the ocean, cushioning it from extreme temperature) would also help
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The Philippines, Mauritius, Indonesia
Other island countries, such as The Philippines, Mauritius and Indonesia would be able to produce enough food in such a crisis, according to the study.
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Social instability puts resilience in doubt
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63% of the world’s population would die of famine
More than 5 billion people, roughly 63% of the world's current population, would die of famine in the aftermath of a full-scale nuclear war, according to a 2022 study
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Food self-suffiency: an important factor
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Widespread technological collapse
A year after
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has lasted a year and has no visible end. Putin has blamed the West for the war and claimed his regime is merely responding. However, the discourse's effect on the public and how the war has affected daily life in the country is difficult to assess
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What do we know about Putin's wartime travel measures?
The worst places to be if nuclear war breaks out between Russia and the US
Story by Zeleb.es
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What are the worst places to be in the event of a nuclear war?
For decades, the thought of a global nuclear war between the world’s great powers had receded into the background noise of history. But ever since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, worries about a looming nuclear encounter have dominated news headlines.
The United States would be the worst country to be in during a nuclear exchange
Vladimir Putin made a rare public address on Wednesday and announced that he was “not bluffing” when he warned he could use his nuclear weapons.
It is being seen primarily as a warning to the West to discourage it from continuing to help Ukraine fight back against Russia, by providing investment and weapons.
The threat, understandably, has put many members of the public on edge. But just how seriously should we take these threats?
How worried are Western leaders?
Some people are not alarmed, especially as Putin has been making similar threats since the start of the war.
Ukraine
In response to these claims, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said:
“I don’t believe that he will use these weapons. I don’t think the world will allow him to use these weapons.”
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba also seemed undeterred by the threats. He said: “The Russians can do whatever they want. It will not change anything.”
UK
Ben Wallace, defence secretary, tweeted on Wednesday that “no amount of threats and propaganda can hide the fact that Ukraine is winning this war”.
Foreign office minister Gillian Keegan took a more cautious line on Sky News, noting the threat was to be taken “very seriously”, and “obviously an escalation” of tensions.
Europe
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte recommended people “remain calm”, noting: “His rhetoric on nuclear weapons is something we have heard many times before, and it leaves us cold.”
German chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted: “Russia cannot win this criminal war. Right from the start, Putin completely underestimated the situation – the will to resist of Ukraine and the unity of their friends.”
UN
The UN’s secretary general Jens Stoltenerg admitted it was a “dangerous and reckless” threat from Moscow, but added: “He knows very well that a nuclear war should never be fought and cannot be won, and it will have unprecedented consequences for Russia.”
US
The US is also taking the “irresponsible” threat to use nuclear weapons “seriously”, according to John Kirby, spokesman for the White House’s National Security Council.
“It’s irresponsible rhetoric for nuclear power to talk that way. But it’s not atypical for how he’s been talking the last seven months and we take it very seriously.”
He added: “We’re monitoring as best we can – their strategic posture. So if we have to, we can alter ours. We’ve seen no indication that that’s required right now.”
What do experts say?
Experts seem divided in how to respond to Putin’s claims – especially as he has been trying to use his nuclear power as leverage since the start of the war.
Defence expert General Sir Richard Barrons told Sky News on Wednesday that the threats have great significance for the West – even though Europe and its allies have been trying to avoid direct intervention in the war.
He said: “Essentially, by raising the spectre of nuclear weapons, the rest of the Western hemisphere is now on the pitch with Ukraine.”
But, former British ambassador to Russia, Sir Laurie Bristow, told BBC Radio 4′s Today programme that the effect of turning to nukes would be too detrimental to Russia’s international reputation. He said: “Russia has no more interest in getting into direct conflict with Nato than Nato does with Russia.”
Then again, as retired US army colonel Daniel Davis told The Guardian: “There is little [Putin] won’t do when he feels it is necessary to win on the battlefield.”
What exactly is the threat?
Putin has claimed that the West is threatening “nuclear blackmail” itself by alleging representatives of Nato (the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation) have considered using nuclear weapons against Russia.
He warned in response that Russia “has various weapons of destruction and with regards to certain components they’re even more modern than Nato ones”.
“If there is a threat to the territorial integrity of our country, and for protecting our people, we will certainly use all the means available to us – and I’m not bluffing.”
Plenty of Putin’s supporters are echoing his claims. For instance, his former advisor Sergei Markov also threatened nuclear war against the UK during an interview with BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Wednesday.
What nuclear power does Russia have?
The Federation of American Scientists believe Russia has a nuclear warhead inventory of 5,977, making it the largest in the world. For comparison, the US has 5,428, France has 290 and the UK has 225.
Taiwan and Japan are boosting their missile threat too, according to the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.
This organisation has also estimated that Russia only has 4,447 warheads; 1,588 on ballistic missiles and at heavy bomber bases, and almost 3,000 more warheads being held in reserve.
But Russia is incredibly secretive about this supply, so it’s hard to know for sure.
The main concern is that Russia is thought to have intercontinental ballistic missiles though which could stretch to London, or even Washington – one can reach the UK from Russia in just 20 minutes.
These missiles would have a yield of between 300 and 800 kilotonnes of the TNT equivalent – enough to destroy the capital cities of the US, UK or France.
Russia could also set off limited nuclear explosions, just to subdue its opponents – these are called tactical nuclear weapons.
Putin, his defence minister or chief of general staff have to authorise the detonation.
What has happened when we used nuclear in the past?
Nuclear weapons do cause devastation on the few occasions they’ve been used.
There are only two instance of nuclear weapons being employed in history – in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, in 1945. Both were detonated by the US in a bid to end World War 2 by weakening Japan. Together, it’s estimated up to 226,000 people died.
In March, at the start of the war, both of these cities wrote to Putin calling for nuclear weapons not to be detonated.
It’s worth remembering the Chernobyl disaster of 1986, in Ukraine, followed an accident at the local nuclear power plant. The true death count is hard to understand because many people died due to the long-term effects of radiation, but the confirmed death toll is less than 100.
There was also the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011 too, after an earthquake caused disruption at another power plant. Only one person has been attributed to the accident, but thousands may have died indirectly from the event.
Both of these events received the maximum classification (level 7) on the International Nuclear Event Scale.
Now, Zaporizhzhia’s nuclear plant has been a significant concern throughout the war. As Ukraine’s largest power plant, it is close to the front line of fighting and has been controlled by Russian soldiers while still being run by Ukrainian technicians. There are fears that a nuclear accident could stem from this, too, if it was shelled.
This article originally appeared on HuffPost UK and has been updated.
Related...
- What Do Vladimir Putin's Threats Really Mean For Russia, The West And The Ukraine War?
- Only Two Cities Ever Hit By Nuclear Weapons Pleaded With Putin Not To Detonate His Bombs
- What Do Vladimir Putin's Threats Really Mean For Russia, The West And The Ukraine War?
- 'I'm Not Bluffing': Vladimir Putin Warns The West He Is Willing To Use Nuclear Weapons
- 6 Major News Stories That May Have Slipped Under Your Radar During National Mourning
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Russia could start a chain reaction that leads to global nuclear war
Russia is the world’s largest nuclear power with an estimated stockpile of roughly 5977 warheads according to the Federation of American Scientists, and if Putin uses one of his tactical nuclear devices in Ukraine, it could start a chain reaction that leads to war.
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Where don't you want to be?
In the event of a nuclear war that involved Russia and the United States, it would certainly involve America’s NATO allies—a situation that would make several countries some of the worst places to be as the war unfolded.
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Nuclear war in the United States
If Vladimir Putin was fighting a nuclear war then the United States could expect that most of its major cities would be destroyed by Russia’s first volley of intercontinental ballistic missiles.
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Expect these cities to be gone
Cities like New York, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washinton D.C. would be among the first struck according to a map created by CBS News journalist John Dodge in 2015.
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How do where know where Russia would strike?
Dodge used open-source data from the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) and the National Resource Defense Council to plot likely Russian nuclear targets in the United States.
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Other vulnerable places
Also on the list, you’ll find large clusters of targets in Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming—places which house a substantial portion of America’s nuclear arsenal.
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Important targets on the map
"Some of the larger targets include active nuclear plants,” wrote The Independent’s Gustaf Kilander, who recently reevaluated Dodge’s map and its targets in a February 10th article on the subject.
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How bad would it be?
“There are approximately 90 plants across the US,” Kilander added, “with some located in Alabama, Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee.”
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With the United States being Russia’s primary antagonist—and the second-largest nuclear world power with an arsenal of 5428 warheads according to the Federation of American Scientists—the country would probably be one of the worst places to be if a nuclear war broke out.
The United Kingdom would be the first runner up...
The United Kingdom has drawn Russia’s nuclear ire for all the assistance they’ve provided Ukraine over the last year.
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Putin has threatened to nuke the UK at least 35 times in the last year
According to Newsweek’s Brendan Cole, Putin alone has threatened to bomb the country at least 35 times since the war began, which might make it the second worst place to be in the event of a nuclear war with Russia
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Most major cities would be wiped out
Most of the UK’s major cities would be under threat with the Daily Star’s Adam Cailler reporting in September 2022 that Cold War Era map discovered in the country’s National Archives revealed where Russian forces would bomb.
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Which would be targeted?
“Targets at the time were set to include Central London, Edinburgh, Teesside, Leicester, Manchester, Liverpool, Glasgow, Hull, York, Dover, Cambridge, Maidstone, Huddersfield, Wolverhampton, Coventry, and Sheffield,” Cailler wrote.
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Other infrastructure we know would be hit
“Alongside these population centers were 23 RAF bases, 14 USAF bases, 10 radar stations, eight military command centers, and 13 Royal Navy bases,” The Daily Star reporter added, which would essentially cover the entire British Isles in destruction.
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Retaliation against Russia
Russia wouldn't escape the destruction of a possible nuclear, even if Putin was the first to act. In the event of a first strike from Russia, the United States and its NATO allies would retaliate in force with President Joe Biden already warning Putin that he would face “Armageddon” if he even tried to use one tactical nuclear weapon in Ukraine.
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NATO allied counties would also be dangerous locations
While the world has no concrete data on which NATO countries would be bombed in the event of Nuclear war with Russia, Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscomos said that in “ a nuclear war, NATO countries will be destroyed by us in half an hour,” making them a very dangerous place to be if war breaks out.
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Everywhere is dangerous
Even if you don’t live in a country that could be directly affected by a nuclear exchange, it might not matter according to new research published in August.
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“Even a small conflict in which two nations unleash nuclear weapons on each other could lead to worldwide famine,” wrote Alexandra Witze.
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“Soot from burning cities would encircle the planet and cool it by reflecting sunlight back into space," Witze added, "this in turn would cause global crop failures that… could put five billion people on the brink of death.”
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Nowhere is safe
So in the event of a nuclear war between Russia and the United States, there’s really no place that's safe—a thought that really should be keeping you up at night.
The United States would be the worst country to be in during a nuclear exchange
The worst places to be if nuclear war breaks out between Russia and the US (msn.com)
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Political fallout over federal response to Ohio train derailment - ABC News (go.com)
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2023 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to the apocalypse, scientists say, The announcement is the first since Russia's invasion of Ukraine.,
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ByTeddy Grant and Bill Hutchinson, January 24, 2023 'Doomsday Clock':
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This is how close we are to the apocalypse, 2023
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ByTeddy Grant and Bill Hutchinson January 24, 2023
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When Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan came to East Palestine, Ohio, on Thursday, he was the first top Biden administration official on the scene since Norfolk Southern rail cars filled with toxic chemicals derailed near the town two weeks ago.
The incident has since sparked intense health and environmental concerns that forced hundreds to flee their homes.
His visit came amid daily headline news coverage depicting angry residents and Republican and Democratic criticism of the federal government's response that has the White House on the defensive.
 Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference.jpg "Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference")
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Michael Regan speaks during a press conference after inspecting the site of a train derailment of hazardous material in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 16, 2023.Alan Freed/ReutersMORE: Ohio train derailment: EPA administrator visits East Palestine, asks residents to 'trust the government'
The day before Regan arrived, the town's mayor told ABC News he was ill-equipped to handle such a large-scale catastrophe.
"I need help," East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway said at a town hall on Wednesday night. "I'm not ready for this. I wasn't built for this."
 2023.jpg "ransportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during The National Association of Counties (NACo) 2023 Legislative Conference, Feb. 13, 2023.")
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg speaks during The National Association of Counties (NACo) 2023 Legislative Conference, Feb. 13, 2023.Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call via Getty ImagesMORE: Experts struggle to gauge potential health impacts of chemical spill in Ohio train derailment
And Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg -- a favorite GOP target, who heads the agency that regulates railways, has been singled out by not only East Palestine residents, but also by conservative news outlets and on social media.
"What happened in East Palestine is unacceptable," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said on Fox News this week before blasting Buttigieg -- just one of many critics saying he waited 10 days before addressing the disaster on Twitter.
"And I gotta say, Secretary Buttigieg has been nowhere to be found on this issue," Cruz continued. "You know, it really is a remarkable thing that he hasn't gone to East Palestine to see what happened there. He hasn't come to Congress to explain what happened … I know he's got aspirations, but he actually has a day job -- he has a job he's been appointed to do that is incredibly important. And we need serious leadership."
Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has written to President Joe Biden, calling on Buttigieg to resign.
A air quality monitoring device hangs on a stops sign in East Palestine, Ohio, as the cleanup continues after the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train over a week ago, Feb. 15, 2023.Gene J. Puskar/APCriticism has also come from the political left.
Democratic Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota called directly on Buttigieg to "address the tragedy" and ensure it "never happens again."
And West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, whose state borders Ohio, on Thursday called the delay in a top-level administration response "unacceptable."
“While I am glad EPA Administrator Regan will visit the site today, it is unacceptable that it took nearly two weeks for a senior Administration official to show up. I urge President Biden, Administrator Regan, and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg to provide a complete picture of the damage and a comprehensive plan to ensure the community is supported in the weeks, months and years to come, and this sort of accident never happens again," he said in a statement.
Balloons are placed next to a sign displaying information for residents to receive air-quality tests from Norfolk Southern Railway on Feb. 16, 2023 in East Palestine, Ohio, after a train derailment..MORE: Ohio train derailment: NTSB chair issues 'plea to those spreading misinformation'
During a town hall Wednesday night, when a local resident asked Conaway, "Where's Pete Buttigieg? Where's he at?" the mayor answered, "I don't know -- your guess is as good as [mine]. Yesterday was the first day I heard anything from the White House."
At his East Palestine news conference on Thursday, Regan defended the federal response, saying the Biden administration had put boots on the ground since "day one" to do testing and promising that Norfolk Southern would be held accountable.
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"Let me be clear," Regan said, "EPA will exercise our oversight and our enforcement authority under the law to be sure we are getting the results that the community deserves." He asked for the community's trust and said federal help would be available "as long as it takes."
A Transportation Department spokesperson told ABC News that "within hours of the derailment," DOT staff were on the scene to support the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation into the cause.
MORE: Ohio train derailment: Controlled burn of toxic chemicals went 'as planned,' PA gov says
The department's role is to support the NTSB -- the independent agency that will issue preliminary findings and eventually, a final report -- Buttigieg has said, calling also for a reduction of "constraints on the USDOT in this area," while asking Congress to work with him on safety improvements.
"The residents of East Palestine deserve accurate information and it's unfortunate to see certain media outlets trying to cause misplaced outrage in an ongoing and serious investigation," a DOT spokesperson said in a statement to ABC News, noting that Buttigieg has spoken with both Ohio GOP Gov. Mike DeWine and Pennsylvania Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro about the agency's support.
Environmental Protection Agency administrator Michael Regan answers questions at Sulphur Creek in East Palestine, Ohio, Feb. 16, 2023.Patrick Orsagos/AP"When the investigation is finished, Secretary Buttigieg asked about joining the governors in East Palestine to collaborate on steps to improve rail safety and hold Norfolk Southern accountable," the spokesperson said, noting that the Transportation Department will likely become more involved in the process when discussions of future regulatory improvements begin.
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The White House on Thursday expressed "absolute confidence" in Buttigieg.
"I can answer that very quickly and very, with confidence from here that we do have absolute confidence in Mayor Pete -- in secretary -- I always say that -- Secretary Buttigieg," press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Regan, the DOT spokesperson said, is the correct administration representative in the situation. While no injuries were reported from the crash, chemicals in the rail cars -- including hazardous materials and vinyl chloride which was burned off in the area last week prompting a temporary evacuation -- created outsize environmental and health-related concerns.
MORE: EPA chief provides update on air quality following Ohio train derailment
On Thursday, DeWine, for the first time, requested federal assistance during a conversation with White House officials, according to his office. Just two days before, the second-term Republican told reporters that he had earlier been contacted by President Joe Biden with offers of assistance, but he declined.
Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown, appearing with Regan Thursday, said, "Tell me what they need from the Senate and from the House. And from the federal government. I've been working with the White House -- I spoke to the new chief of staff to President Biden just yesterday about his policy and it was literally the top of his agenda and my agenda when we spoke on five, six different things."
On Friday, in response to DeWine’s request, the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were deploying a team of medical personnel and toxicologists to conduct public health testing and assessments in East Palestine.
Officials said the administration had secured Norfolk Southern's commitment to cover clean-up costs.
"We are committed to supporting the people of Palestine every step of the way and we are going to be on the ground helping them as long as it's needed," Jean-Pierre said at Friday's White House briefing.
ABC News' Justin Gomez and Noah Minnie contributed to this report.
Could this be the Earth-like exoplanet astronomers have been searching for?, Story by Zeleb.es
Could this be the Earth-like exoplanet astronomers have been searching for? (msn.com)
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Searching for planet B
Finding a livable world that is similar to Earth is one of the most intriguing objectives of extraterrestrial study.
Photo: An artist’s depiction of a rocky exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star./NASA/Daniel Rutter
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More than 5,000 exoplanets discovered
Astronomers have long been interested in finding other habitable planets. And though they have discovered more than 5,000 exoplanets, less than 200 are rocky or terrestrial and only about 1.5% have similar masses to Earth.
Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech
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Only about 12 exoplanets potentially have water
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Wolf 1069 b: promising exoplanet discovered
What’s promising about the newly discovered exoplanet, named Wolf 1069 b, is that it has all of the aforementioned characteristics.
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Orbits a red dwarf star
A prime candidate for water
Similar mass and size to Earth
Tidally locked with its host star
Wolf 1069 b is tidally locked to Wolf 1069 (its host star), in the same way that our Moon is tidally locked to Earth.
Day-side and night-side
This means that the same side of the exoplanet always faces its star, so its day-side and night-side remain the same.
Only the day-side would be habitable
Red dwarfs are sources of high-energy radiation
Wolf 1069 b is colder than Earth
Since Wolf 1069 is so much smaller and less energetic than our Sun, its habitable zone is much closer and the planet receives less energy than Earth does from the Sun; only about 65%, which also means that it’s colder than Earth.
Photo: Ivana Cajina/Unsplash
A lack of intense radiation
A good target to search for signs of life
Therefore, the planet is one of a very small number of promising targets to look for biosignatures and signs of habitability.
Another 10 years to have a detailed study of Wolf 1069b
A noteworthy discovery
Energy crisis
With the current Ukrainian War, the energy crisis in Europe has worsened even more. The electricity bills soared, and inflation hit record highs in many countries. In addition, winter's arrival increases energy consumption, which worries authorities, families, and companies.
Energy crisis
With the current Ukrainian War, the energy crisis in Europe has worsened even more. The electricity bills soared, and inflation hit record highs in many countries. In addition, winter's arrival increases energy consumption, which worries authorities, families, and companies.
Threat of a gas cut
The conflict between Russia and Europe does not seem to have an easy way out. Economic sanctions imposed by the European Union have the Russians threatening to cut off gas supplies, leaving Europeans without enough resources to guarantee heating in cold weather.
A new plan
Because of this, the European plan appears to seek a new source of sustainable energy in space. This is the Solaris program.
In the photo, European ministers meet to discuss Europe's space strategy in Toulouse (France) in 2022.
Ursula von der Leyen's warning
According to Deutsche Welle, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warns that "the energy crisis is serious and has entered a new phase." Ursula insists that "only a common European response can reduce energy costs for families and businesses and provide energy security for this and the coming winters."