NASA Reveals Existence of ‘Super-Earth’ in Potentially Habitable Area

NASA has disclosed the recent discovery of a nearby exoplanet, referred to as TOI-715 b, which is just 137 light-years away from Earth. Scientists are now investigating the potential for this super-Earth to support life.

TOI-715 b is approximately one and a half times larger than Earth and orbits within a region around its parent star known as the “habitable zone,” as confirmed by NASA in a recent press release. This habitable zone refers to the distance from the star that could provide the planet with the necessary temperature for liquid water to exist on its surface. However, other factors must align for the planet to have a suitable atmosphere, despite its favorable position in the zone relative to its parent star.

The parent star of TOI-715 b is a red dwarf, which is smaller and cooler than Earth’s Sun. This allows the planet to have a closer and tighter orbit, resulting in a “year” that lasts the equivalent of 19 Earth days. Additionally, this orbit makes the planet easier to detect and observe more frequently, according to NASA.

The discovery of TOI-715 b was made possible by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), launched in 2018. TESS has uncovered several other exoplanets in habitable zones, which can be further studied using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Furthermore, the system where TOI-715 b is located may also contain a second Earth-sized planet within the habitable zone. If confirmed, this would represent the smallest habitable-zone planet found by TESS thus far, according to NASA.