Scientists discover a 'super–Earth' planet 35 light years away
Are there aliens out there, and if so, where are they hiding?
Now, researchers may have taken a huge step towards answering this question.
Using NASA's TESS space telescope, a team from Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets has detected a 'super–Earth' 35 light–years away that might be habitable.
The planet, called L 98–59 f, is one of five worlds found orbiting a red dwarf star called L 98–59.
However, it is the only one with the right conditions to support life.
'Finding a temperate planet in such a compact system makes this discovery particularly exciting,' said Charles Cadieux, lead author of the study.
'It highlights the remarkable diversity of exoplanetary systems and strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low–mass stars.'
L 98–59 was first discovered in 2019, and was originally confirmed to have just four planets around it.
However, by carefully reanalysing data collected from ground–based and space–based telescopes, the team was able to identify a fifth planet.
This planet does not transit its host star – meaning it doesn't pass directly between us and the star.
However, its presence was confirmed through subtle variations in the star's motion.
The scientists believe the planet receives about the same amount of stellar energy as Earth does from the sun.
Excitingly, this places it 'firmly' within the habitable zone – a region where water could remain in liquid form.
The new study also sheds light on the four other planets orbiting the star.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Ammon
2 days ago
- Ammon
New giant stick insect species is Australia's heaviest, scientists say
Ammon News - In a remote rainforest in Australia, home to deadly snakes, spiders and creepy-crawlies, scientists have discovered a new species of stick insect they believe is the heaviest ever found in the country. The new species weighs 44 grams (1.55 oz), about the same as a golf ball, and is 40 cm (15.75 inches) long. James Cook University's Angus Emmott, who helped identify the new Acrophylla alta species, said the creature's large size could be an evolutionary response to its cool, wet habitat. 'Their body mass likely helps them survive the colder conditions, and that's why they've developed into this large insect over millions of years,' he was quoted as saying in a media release. 'From what we know to date, this is Australia's heaviest insect.' The new stick insect was discovered in the canopies of the mountainous Wet Tropics region of Far North Queensland, in Australia's northeast. The remote habitat was probably also why it had remained undiscovered for so long, Emmott said. 'It's restricted to a small area of high-altitude rainforest, and it lives high in the canopy. So, unless you get a cyclone or a bird bringing one down, very few people get to see them,' he said. The stick insect's distinctive eggs also helped scientists identify it as a new species. 'Every species of stick insect has their own distinct egg style,' Emmott said. 'They've all got different surfaces and different textures and pitting, and they can be different shapes. Even the caps on them are all very unique.'
Ammon
2 days ago
- Ammon
Lunar Roving Vehicle first used on the Moon
Ammon News - On this day in 1971, Apollo 15 astronauts James B. Irwin and David Scott first used the four-wheeled battery-powered Lunar Roving Vehicle to extensively explore the Moon's surface, in particular the Hadley-Apennine site. Britannica
Ammon
4 days ago
- Ammon
National Aeronautics and Space Administration established
Criticized for allowing the Soviet Union to launch the first man-made satellite to orbit Earth (Sputnik 1, on October 4, 1957), U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation this day in 1958 that created NASA. Britannica
