Scientists Discover New Earth-Sized Planet in Habitable Zone of Cool Star

In a major breakthrough in the search for life beyond Earth, scientists have discovered a new planet that could potentially support life. The planet, named TOI 700 d, is about 1.2 times the size of Earth and orbits in the habitable zone of its star, which means that it could potentially have liquid water on its surface. Liquid water is essential for life as we know it, so the discovery of TOI 700 d is a major breakthrough.

The planet is located about 100 light-years from Earth, so it is not yet possible to study it in detail. However, scientists are hopeful that future observations will be able to tell us more about its atmosphere and potential for life.

"This is a very exciting discovery," said Dr. Thomas Barclay, an astronomer at the University of Maryland, College Park, who led the study. "TOI 700 d is the most Earth-like planet we have ever found in the habitable zone of another star."

The planet was discovered using data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TESS is a space telescope that is designed to search for exoplanets or planets that orbit stars other than the Sun. TESS has been observing TOI 700 system since 2019, and the discovery of TOI 700 d was announced on July 6, 2022.

TOI 700 d is the third planet in the TOI 700 system. The other two planets are smaller than TOI 700 d and are not in the habitable zone. The star at the center of the system is a cool dwarf star, which means that it is smaller and cooler than our Sun. Cool dwarf stars are more common than Sun-like stars, so the discovery of TOI 700 d suggests that there may be many more Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of cool dwarf stars.

The discovery of TOI 700 d is a major step in the search for extraterrestrial life. It is the closest Earth-sized planet ever found in the habitable zone of another star, and it is a tantalizing target for future observations. Scientists hope that future observations will be able to tell us more about the atmosphere of TOI 700 d and whether it could support life.

"This is a very exciting time for the search for life beyond Earth," said Dr. Barclay. "The discovery of TOI 700 d shows that there are many Earth-sized planets out there that could potentially support life. We are getting closer to finding the answer to the question of whether we are alone in the universe."