Scientists find second Earth hidden near red dwarf, could this water world reshape our future
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Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet nearly twice the size of Earth that may be rich in water, according to a study published on the arXiv preprint server. The planet, named TOI-1846 b , is located approximately 154 light-years from Earth and orbits a red dwarf star The discovery was led by Abderahmane Soubkiou and his team at the Oukaimeden Observatory in Morocco. The planet was detected using data from NASA 's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and confirmed through ground-based photometry, high-resolution imaging, and spectroscopy.'We have validated TOI-1846 b using TESS and multicolor ground-based photometric data, high-resolution imaging, and spectroscopic observations,' the authors wrote, as reported by phys.org.According to the study, TOI-1846 b has a radius of approximately 1.792 times that of Earth and is about 4.4 times more massive. The planet completes one orbit around its host star every 3.93 days, suggesting it lies extremely close to the star. Its equilibrium temperature is estimated at 568.1 Kelvin (approximately 295°C).Researchers believe the planet likely has a water-rich composition, based on its size and density. However, they emphasized the need for further observations to confirm this. In particular, radial velocity (RV) measurements using instruments like MAROON-X could help determine its mass and internal structure more accurately.The study also notes that the planet has a Transmission Spectroscopy Metric (TSM) of 47, which is below the benchmark value of 90 typically used for small sub-Neptune planets. This means that while its atmosphere may be more difficult to study, it remains a target of interest for future research.The host star, TOI-1846, is a red dwarf with a mass of about 0.42 times that of the Sun and a radius of approximately 0.4 solar radii. It has an estimated age of 7.2 billion years and an effective temperature of 3,568 Kelvin.This discovery adds to a growing list of super-Earths identified by astronomers in recent years. Earlier in 2025, researchers discovered another super-Earth, HD 20794 d, located just 20 light-years from Earth. That planet is about six times Earth's mass and lies within the habitable zone of its star, although its elliptical orbit may affect its potential to support life.TOI-1846 b is not considered habitable due to its high temperature and close orbit, but its age and possible water-rich nature make it a valuable object for studying the formation and evolution of rocky exoplanets.
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