Scientists found them recently. They confirmed the existence of two new rocky exoplanets in a close orbit around the red dwarf star. They are located only 105 light-years away. One of the super-Earths may encompass at least one habitable world.
They were discovered thanks to NASA’s TESS telescope for searching for exoplanets. The first exoplanet LP 890-9b is about 1.32 times the diameter of Earth.
habitable worlds?
It orbits its star in 2.7 days. Another exoplanet in this system, LP 890-9c, is a little farther from the star. It is 1.37 times the diameter of the Earth and up to 25 times its mass.
Exoplanets can be classified as super-Earths. They are rocky worlds larger than Earth and smaller than Neptune. The second exoplanet is in the habitable zone of its star. This is a zone where liquid water could exist on a planetary surface. Thus, life as we know it could exist.
According to researchers, it is the second most promising potentially habitable world. But the convenient position of an exoplanet does not mean a habitable world.
“We should not get ahead of ourselves. Being in the right place does not guarantee a palm beach.” Says astronomer Robert Wells of the University of Bern, Germany. “Venus, which is a carbon dioxide-rich pressure cooker at almost 500 degrees Celsius. And it’s also close to this so-called habitable zone around the Sun.”
Scientists will review its nature in more detail. The discovery suggests that there may be more such worlds. They are just waiting to be discovered in the solar neighborhood.
Understanding exoplanets
“It is important to detect as many temperate terrestrial worlds as possible. We want to study the diversity of exoplanet climates. And measure the frequency with which biology emerged in the Cosmos.” Says astronomer Amaury Triaud of the University of Birmingham.
These two new rocky exoplanets are rare. So, in any case, the discovery is an important piece of information for characterizing the population of these exoplanets. The research was published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
