NASA has made an astounding announcement that has captured the attention of the scientific community and space enthusiasts alike. A potentially habitable planet, named TOI-715 b, has been discovered a mere 137 light-years away, making it relatively close to Earth from an astronomical perspective.
What sets TOI-715 b apart is not just its proximity, but also its size. This newly found planet is slightly larger than Earth, stretching about 1½ times as wide. It orbits a small reddish star within what is known as the conservative habitable zone, which refers to the region around a star where conditions may be suitable for liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface.
The parent star of TOI-715 b is considerably smaller and cooler than our own sun, allowing the planet to have a remarkably tight orbit. In fact, TOI-715 b completes its journey around its star in just 19 days, resulting in a year that is incredibly short compared to our own.
Excitement is further heightened by the possibility of a second planet in the same system, with similar qualities that could potentially support life. This second planet is believed to be Earth-sized, and if confirmed, it would be the smallest habitable-zone planet discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) so far.
TESS, which was launched by NASA in 2018, aims to uncover thousands of exoplanets revolving around the brightest dwarf stars in the sky. The discovery of TOI-715 b and its potential companion highlight the success of TESS in achieving its mission.
To delve deeper into these intriguing exoplanets and unlock more of their secrets, scientists will be relying on the James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in the near future. This state-of-the-art telescope will provide cutting-edge technology and extraordinary capabilities for observing the universe, enabling in-depth research and exploration of TOI-715 b and its neighboring celestial bodies.
As humanity’s knowledge of distant planets continues to expand, the discovery of potentially habitable exoplanets like TOI-715 b signifies remarkable progress in our understanding of the universe and raises hopes of one day finding another world similar to our own.
