This is the new ‘Super-Earth’ discovered by NASA
NASA scientists have discovered a heavenly body that they consider a ‘super-Earth’- a rocky planet around 30 to 70 percent larger than our own.
There’s further proof that there could be worlds out there other than our own, in case you needed any more.
A NASA telescope orbiting the Earth has discovered what the agency is calling a super-Earth. Named TOI-715 b, it’s a planet that is approximately 30 to 70% bigger than our own.
The space agency says the mega-planet is relatively close to Earth, and can be found in a solar system that is “only” 137 light years away. What makes this world intriguing is that it orbits a small star within the habitable zone.
Water spells life in a habitable zone
“That’s the distance from the star that could give the planet the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface,” NASA said of this area, also referred to as the “Goldilocks zone”.
“Several other factors would have to line up… for surface water to be present, especially having a suitable atmosphere,” explains the space agency.
“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.”
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Searching for signs of life
The discovery is made even more interesting by the possibility that the distant solar system could be housing a second, Earth-sized planet.
Scientists have had greater opportunities to study exoplanets (short for extrasolar planets), or planets that orbit stars outside of our solar system. Astronomers intend to further study TOI-715 b by using the mighty James Webb Space Telescope.
Such advanced space-borne instruments are capable not only of detecting far-off worlds, they are also able to give scientists an idea of what their characteristics are. This includes the terrain and the atmosphere of these heavenly bodies, which could give an insight as to whether they could possibly be inhabited by any form of life.