science ๐ฐ๏ธ New mission aims to find Earth 2.0 in star pairs
Astronomers are looking for Earth-mass, rocky planets in binary star systems using a new NASA mission called SHERA. This mission will operate on 7 nearby binary systems within 17 parsecs of Earth. SHERA aims to detect periodic shifts in relative stellar separation, which is different from previous methods. It uses advanced technology similar to chip manufacturing to achieve sub-microarcsecond precision. The mission expects to find around four small, habitable zone planets and supports the Habitable Worlds Observatory. ๐ช