An international team of exoplanet researchers has discovered a new planet located within the "habitable zone" of its star that is somewhat larger than Earth.
Milli.Az reports that the discovered planet has been named TOI-715 b. It is approximately 1.5 times larger than Earth. Planets of this size are usually categorized as "Super-Earths." The planet is about 137 light years away from us, which is considered "close neighborhood" on a cosmic scale.
The aspect that attracted the most attention of scientists in this discovery is the planet's distance from its star.
The planet orbits its star at such a distance that the temperature allows water to remain in liquid form on its surface. This is the most important condition for the emergence of life.
TOI-715 b revolves around a "Red Dwarf" (M-dwarf) star that is smaller and cooler than the Sun.
Because the planet is very close to its star, it completes its orbit very quickly. One year on this world is equal to only 19 Earth days. However, since the star is cool, this proximity does not burn the planet to ashes but instead creates a mild climate.
Astronomers will now try to study whether this planet has an atmosphere through the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). The discovery of water vapor or oxygen in the atmosphere could turn this finding into the discovery of the century.
