NASA finds ‘super-Earth’ 137 light-years away that could be a promising candidate for alien life
NASA has discovered a ‘super-Earth’ 137 light years away in the habitable zone that could be a promising candidate for life.
The exoplanet, called TOI-715 b, is 1.5 times larger than Earth and orbits a small, reddish star that could radiate the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface – a key ingredient for supporting life.
Astronomers now plan to analyze the properties of TOI-715 b and atmospheres to determine if it is possibly a companion planet.
The super-Earth is located 137 light-years from Earth and completes one orbit every 19 days
Exoplanets are worlds located outside our solar system and have been studied since 2018 by instruments such as NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), allowing astronomers to not only discover new worlds but also reveal some of their intrinsic features.
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) was launched six years ago to observe these ‘transiting’ planets, which orbit stars like our Sun.
An international team of scientists led by the University of Birmingham used an array of Earth-based telescopes to determine the location of TOI-715 b after TESS returned clues about its existence.
The team found that TOI-715 b has a much closer orbit than Earth, meaning it passes by the stars more often, completing one orbit every 19 days.
By earthly standards, this is comparable to one ‘year’.
NASA has discovered other super-Earths, but many are not habitable because they are either too hot to survive or completely submerged
However, that also means that one side of the super-Earth always faces its star.
The position can cause extreme temperature differences between the day and night sides and affect the climate and weather.
The same system could also host a second Earth-sized planet.
The researchers said if they can confirm the second Earth-like planet within TOI-175 b’s orbit, it would be the smallest habitable zone planet discovered by TESS so far.
“Planet TOI-175 b joins the list of habitable zone planets that can be examined more closely by the Webb Telescope, perhaps even for signs of an atmosphere,” NASA said.
‘Much will depend on the planet’s other properties, including how large it is and whether it can be classified as a ‘water world’ – making its atmosphere, if present, more prominent and much less difficult to detect than that of a more massive, denser and drier world, likely keeping the low-profile atmosphere closer to the surface.”
While the super-Earth findings are unique in many ways, exoplanets themselves are not unusual. NASA has discovered more than 5,000 of these planets and confirmed that there are likely more than a trillion exoplanets in the Milky Way alone.
The first exoplanet was discovered more than thirty years ago and gives astronomers hope that other planets could harbor life.
Not all super-Earths are candidates for life, with some harboring extreme temperatures while others may be completely covered in water or have active lava flows.
“We don’t know much about super-Earths because we don’t have one in our solar system,” said Chris Impey, a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona. Mashable.
But if one thing is certain, Renyu Hu, an exoplanet researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told the outlet, “They are very exciting planets indeed.”