2024-02-10 17:37:00
For years, astronomers have dedicated themselves to the task of finding life outside Earth, or at least, a planet where life might be possible. Recently, NASA made a discovery that might change the way we have been studying space, and even life as we know it.
A new Earth
Orbiting a red dwarf star just 137 light years away from our planet is the so-called “Super Earth”, which is actually the planet TOI-715 b.
According to the data of the study published by NASA, TOI-175 b takes regarding 19 Earth days to orbit its star, and this planet is regarding one and a half times wider than Earth.
According to the researchers, its distance from its star, being within that so-called “habitable zone”, might give the planet the appropriate temperature for liquid water to form on its surface, although it is not certain that it is a “water world” and nothing should be assumed regarding the still unknown planet.
Could we live there?
The James Webb Telescope might now examine this exoplanet for signs of an atmosphere, but the space agency warns that several other factors would be necessary for this scenario to be possible.
In addition to this, they comment that “the conservative habitable zone, a narrower and potentially stronger definition than the broader ‘optimistic’ habitable zone, puts the planet in a privileged position, at least according to the approximate measurements made so far.”
There is still not much information regarding the so-called Super Earth, so we will have more details once deeper investigations begin, but for now the future is uncertain. For now, the only thing we have left is to dream. Would you imagine living 137 light years away?
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