NASA discovers a ‘Super-Earth’ in the Habitable Zone

A “super-Earth” ripe for further investigation orbits a small, reddish star that is, by astronomical standards, fairly close to us – only 137 light-years away. The same system also might harbor a second, Earth-sized planet

The bigger planet, dubbed TOI-715 b, is about one and a half times as wide as Earth, and orbits within the “conservative” habitable zone around its parent star. That’s the distance from the star that could give the planet the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface. Several other factors would have to line up, of course, for surface water to be present, especially having a suitable atmosphere. But the conservative habitable zone – a narrower and potentially more robust definition than the broader “optimistic” habitable zone – puts it in prime position, at least by the rough measurements made so far. The smaller planet could be only slightly larger than Earth, and also might dwell just inside the conservative habitable zone.

According to NASA, the planet TOI-715b, which is 1.5 times wider than Earth, is a “super-Earth”. It orbits a red dwarf star that is smaller and cooler than the sun. The planet is located in the habitable zone, which is the distance from the star that could give the planet the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface. 

NASA says that the planet is 137 light-years away and that life may be possible there. The Hubble Space Telescope provided the first information about the planet’s atmospheric properties.