Another Earth: NASA discovers habitable planet 

| Read time: 3 minute(s)

The US space agency NASA has discovered an Earth-size habitable planet which is as close to 100 light years from us. NASA’s planet finding agency Tess confirmed the statement. The planet, orbiting a star, is part of a multi-planet system around TOI 700, a small, cool M-dwarf star in the Dorado constellation. It's only about 40% of our sun's mass and size, with half of the surface temperature. The planet is known as TOI 700 d, one of three orbiting the star. It's at just the right distance to support liquid water on the surface in the star's habitable zone. TOI 700 d is the outermost of the three planets, completing a single orbit around the star every 37 Earth days. From its smaller star, the planet receives about 86% of the energy that our sun supplies the Earth. The planet is thought to be tidally locked, meaning one side is always in daylight. The other two planets in the system, TOI 700 b and c, are different. The innermost planet, b, is the size of Earth and rocky like our planet and zips around the star every 10 Earth days. The second planet, c, is considered to be gaseous and between the size of Earth and Neptune, completing an orbit every 16 Earth days. Fun fact TESS discovered three planets in orbit, named TOI 700 b, c and d. Only "d" is in the so-called 'Goldilocks zone', not too far from and not too close to the star, where the temperature could allow the presence of liquid water. The name is an allusion to the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a young girl samples three bowls of porridge and finds that one is "just right - not too hot and not too cold". Artist impression of the new planet The orbits of TOI 700's three known planets. (NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre) Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Centre

The US space agency NASA has discovered an Earth-size habitable planet which is as close to 100 light years from us. 

NASA’s planet finding agency Tess confirmed the statement. The planet, orbiting a star, is part of a multi-planet system around TOI 700, a small, cool M-dwarf star in the Dorado constellation. It’s only about 40% of our sun’s mass and size, with half of the surface temperature.

Artist impression of the new planet 

The planet is known as TOI 700 d, one of three orbiting the star. It’s at just the right distance to support liquid water on the surface in the star’s habitable zone.

The orbits of TOI 700’s three known planets. (NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre)

TOI 700 d is the outermost of the three planets, completing a single orbit around the star every 37 Earth days. From its smaller star, the planet receives about 86% of the energy that our sun supplies the Earth. The planet is thought to be tidally locked, meaning one side is always in daylight.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre

The other two planets in the system, TOI 700 b and c, are different. The innermost planet, b, is the size of Earth and rocky like our planet and zips around the star every 10 Earth days. The second planet, c, is considered to be gaseous and between the size of Earth and Neptune, completing an orbit every 16 Earth days.


Fun Fact

TESS discovered three planets in orbit, named TOI 700 b, c and d. Only "d" is in the so-called 'Goldilocks zone', not too far from and not too close to the star, where the temperature could allow the presence of liquid water. The name is an allusion to the fairy tale Goldilocks and the Three Bears, in which a young girl samples three bowls of porridge and finds that one is "just right - not too hot and not too cold".


Location


Rate Now


Read to me