NASA has announced that its planet hunter satellite TESS discovered an Earth-sized world within the habitable range of its star, which could allow the presence of liquid water.

The planet, named "TOI 700 d", is relatively close to Earth: only 100 light years away, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory said on Monday during the annual American Astronomical Society meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii.

"TESS was designed and launched specifically to find Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby stars," said Paul Hertz, NASA astrophysics division director.

TESS initially misclassified the star, which meant the planets appeared larger and hotter than they actually are. But several amateur astronomers, including high school student Alton Spencer - who works with members of the TESS team - identified the error.

"When we corrected the star's parameters, the sizes of its planets dropped, and we realized the outermost one was about the size of Earth and in the habitable zone," said Emily Gilbert, a graduate student at the University of Chicago.

The discovery was later confirmed by the Spitzer Space Telescope.

Habitable zone
A few other similar planets have been discovered before, notably by the former Kepler Space Telescope, but this is the first one discovered by TESS, which was launched in 2018.

TESS stabilises on one area of the sky to detect whether objects - planets - pass in front of stars, which causes a temporary drop in the stars' luminosity. This allows TESS to infer the presence of a planet, its size and orbit.

Star TOI 700 is small, about 40 percent of the size of the Earth's Sun and only about half as hot.

TESS discovered three planets in orbit, named TOI 700 b, c and d. Only "d" is in the so-called habitable zone, not too far from and not too close to the star, where the temperature could allow the presence of liquid water.

It is about 20 percent larger than Earth and orbits its star in 37 days. Planet 700 d receives 86 percent of the energy that Earth receives from the Sun.

It remains to be seen what 700 d is made of. Researchers have generated models based on the size and type of star in order to predict 700 d's atmospheric composition and surface temperature.

In one simulation, NASA explained, the planet is covered in oceans with a "dense, carbon dioxide-dominated atmosphere similar to what scientists suspect surrounded Mars when it was young".

The planet is tidally locked to the star, meaning that one side always faces the star, as is the case with the Moon and Earth.

This synchronous rotation meant that, in another model, one side of the planet was constantly covered in clouds.

A third simulation predicted an all-land world, where winds flow from the planet's dark side to its light one.

Multiple astronomers will observe the planet with other instruments, in order to obtain new data that may match one of NASA's models.

Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/01/toi-700-earth-sized-planet-nearby-200107062149197.html

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Lemme quickly go and lay my 2 bed room foundation. Uber business go make sense for that planet!

Ok

Since I small na him dem Don dey discover planet. All the planets Wey dem discover wetin dem use am do? Nothing. Other than to add to the questions for exam paper.

The ocean alone them never discover am finish we Don dey go space.

New discoveries every day.

If it is habitable, it could be our way out of global warming with earth's depleting ozone layer.

How does that add any values to us really?


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Nice

Interesting.

nature without disaster is sweet

I'm on

how do I get there? I've been tired of this planet since I was born

When ever I sit alone all I think is if there other intelligent lives out there in other planets. If at all other intelligent lives are going to be discovered let it be when am still alive because that day would be the most happiest day of my life.

Let's go there!!!

Ok oooo

So how about we fix the one we're on before moving to another planet?


But at least this will humble the silly notion some theists project that a god somewhere behind the sky created everything that exists because of humans and made us in charge. Millions other habitable planets exist and anything could be on them. Which could well include organisms far superior to our intellect and evolutionary/ecological advancement.

The universe does not give a shit about us. We only exist on this marble as an insignificant life form on an insignificant portion of a very very very big collection of marbles.

But somehow religion creates this nonexistent important image of humans. And that's why the world is in chaos.

These guys are just discovering new planets
... Dem go soon discover heaven.

Them want to come earth?

betwithmrfixed1:
LET'S HIT IT VERY BIG

.why not stake your own money, borrow join and become as rich as dangote?

Ok

The amount these guys pumped into research for purpose of discovering any form of life, be it micro" outside the planet earth annually baffles me.

Such amount can eleviate 97% poverty on earth.

We can't even coexist with humans, yet we're seeking an alien life.... pathetic.

100 light years and they call it "Near"

For those who don't know what light years means, it means:
At the speed of light It'll take you 100 years to get there and another 100 light years back... which you know you can't get there, talk more of returning.

Gather here if you'll be following me to settle there when USA and Iran with their allies start nuking each other

Mad people.

please. don't allow Nigerian women to visit that planet oooo, they will start posting nude, and start asking for money for sex

Please let me know when they start selling lands there.. My pikin must never suffer like him papa.