Astronomers from a Canadian university discover a planet completely covered in water that orbits regarding 100 light years from Earth.
An international team of researchers, led by Charles Cadieux, from the University of Montreal in Canada, has announced the discovery of the exoplanet ‘TOI-1452 b’, which would be completely covered by a layer of water, similar to some of Jupiter’s moons. and Saturn, according to an article published in The Astronomical Journal.
The exoplanet, which orbits regarding 100 light-years from Earth, is slightly larger in size and mass than our planet. The team of astronomers indicated that it is located at an optimal distance from its star for liquid water to exist on its surface, so it might be an ‘ocean planet’.
Using NASA’s TESS space telescope, in conjunction with an innovative camera and analytical method developed by the University of Montreal, astronomers were able to predict the existence of this exoplanet.
“TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ‘ocean planet’ that we have found to date,” Cadieux said in a statement. Press release released by the university on Wednesday. “Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than would be expected for a planet that is basically made of metal and rock like Earth,” he pointed out.