A “super-Earth”, a planet larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.
American space agency NASA has discovered a “super-Earth”, a planet that could potentially support life. It is located 137 light-years away. Announcing the same in a press release, they said, “A ‘super-Earth’ ripe for further investigation orbits a small, reddish star that is, by astronomical standards, fairly close to us – only 137 light-years away. The same system also might harbour a second, Earth-sized planet.”
The planet is dubbed TOI-715 b and is around one and a half times as wide as Earth, and orbits within the “conservative” habitable zone around its parent star, possibly indicating that it may form liquid water on its surface, as per NASA. It completes a full orbit (a year) in just 19 days.
“Several other factors would have to line up, of course, for surface water to be present, especially having a suitable atmosphere. But the conservative habitable zone – a narrower and potentially more robust definition than the broader ‘optimistic’ habitable zone – puts it in prime position, at least by the rough measurements made so far. The smaller planet could be only slightly larger than Earth, and also might dwell just inside the conservative habitable zone,” they added.
The planet circles a red dwarf, which is smaller and cooler than the Sun. Like this case, a number of such stars are known to host “small, rocky worlds.” NASA added, “These planets make far closer orbits than those around stars like our Sun, but because red dwarfs are smaller and cooler, the planets can crowd closer and still be safely within the star’s habitable zone. The tighter orbits also mean those that cross the faces of their stars – that is, when viewed by our space telescopes – cross far more often.”
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) found the new planet. The shorter duration of completing a full orbit helps scientists to detect the planet and study it properly. The space agency plans to scrutinize the planet by the James Webb telescope and a lot of it will depend on the planet’s properties.
“Much will depend on the planet’s other properties, including how massive it is and whether it can be classed as a “water world” – making its atmosphere, if present, more prominent and far less difficult to detect than that of a more massive, denser and drier world, likely to hold its lower-profile atmosphere closer to the surface,” NASA said in the release.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
