Possibility of a planet near Earth like in the movie Avatar

According to the US NPR station, a group of astronomers has just discovered signs that there may be a giant gas planet orbiting the star Alpha Centauri A - the closest star to Earth with properties similar to the Sun, only 4.3 light years away.

This star system is where the planet Pandora is set in the famous "Avatar" series by director James Cameron.

Based on data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), researchers say the planet has a mass similar to Saturn and a radius close to that of Jupiter.

The planet is thought to be in the “habitable zone,” where temperatures could be warm enough for liquid water to exist — a necessary condition for life. At some point in its eccentric orbit, it could even get closer to its star and become warmer.

According to two reports published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters , the planet is only a potential candidate, not officially confirmed because additional observations are still needed.

But it’s still a major step forward, as planet hunting in the Alpha Centauri AB system has been notoriously difficult. The reason is that the two stars orbiting each other are a huge distraction from gravity-based detection methods—and the light is so bright it can blind observers.

"One of James Webb's instruments can detect infrared light from warm planets, and it is also equipped with a special mask to block out the glare from the host star, so that nearby planets can be seen," said Dr Charles Beichman from Caltech and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

If this planet does exist, it is likely to have a natural satellite system like the gas giants in the Solar System. "I think it is very likely that this planet has moons. Satellite formation around giant planets is quite common," said astronomer Mary Anne Limbach of the University of Michigan.

In the "optimistic case," she said, the moons could be as large as Mars — large enough to have stable environments, even oceans, where life could form.

However, scientists also have cautious opinions. Researcher David Kipping from Columbia University said that this planet may be too small to maintain such a large satellite.

He thinks a size like Saturn's moon Titan might be more reasonable. But if Titan were to be brought into the habitable zone around a star, it might not be able to retain an atmosphere - a key ingredient for life.

“To have a moon large enough to support life around this planet, we need something beyond what we expected,” he said.

Still, the idea of a real-life Pandora hasn't been ruled out entirely. "It's not impossible," Kipping said. For Limbach, the first important thing is to confirm that the planet actually exists. "Before we declare victory and call it a planet, I want to see more confirmed observations," she said.

Despite skepticism, scientists are excited about the possibility of a giant planet right next to Earth - which could be the ideal destination for future interstellar dreams.