【1997 Archives】

A NASA telescope orbiting our planet has spotted an intriguing super-Earth — a world some 30 to 70 percent bigger than Earth.

This rocky planet997 Archivesin another solar system 137 light-years away, which in the vastness of space is considered relatively close (a light-year is nearly 6 trillionmiles). The exoplanet, called TOI-715 b, is about 1.5 times the size of Earth. And, crucially, this world orbits inside the habitable, or "Goldilocks," zone.

"That’s the distance from the star that could give the planet the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface," NASA explained on its website. "Several other factors would have to line up, of course, for surface water to be present, especially having a suitable atmosphere."

SEE ALSO: NASA rover finds damaged helicopter in the middle of Mars desert

TOI-715 b orbits quite close to its star (each orbit lasts just 19 days) — but scientists don't think its a hellish, scorching world, like some other exoplanets. That's because its star is a "red dwarf," which is both cooler and smaller than our medium-sized star, the sun.

Researchers published the planet's detection in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. From many light-years away, we can only see this distant world as a dark dot when it periodically passes in front of its red dwarf star, but NASA has created a conception of what TOI-715 b might look like below:

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

An artist's conception of the super-Earth TOI-715 b. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech

This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.

The space observatory that found TOI-715 b, NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is designed to look for exoplanets transiting in front of their stars. This reveals their existence, and other planetary characteristics.

Rocky worlds around cooler red dwarfs are ideal places to look for environments that could potentially host conditions suitable for life, because they tend to have shorter years (such as 19 days), and these quick orbits provide better odds for a telescope like TESS to detect their transits.

"At the moment, they’re the best bet for finding habitable planets," NASA explained.

---

Related Stories

---

• NASA craft snaps extraordinarily close images of volcano-covered world
• Before its demise, NASA's Mars helicopter captured a glorious aerial view
• The best telescopes for gazing at stars and solar eclipses in 2024
• Japan’s moon landing picture might be the space photo of the decade
• If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll know

"At the moment, they’re the best bet for finding habitable planets."

Astronomers plan to further investigate TOI-715 b with the powerful James Webb Space Telescope, an observatory located about 1 million miles from Earth. Webb has the capability to peer inside the atmospheres of distant exoplanets, and better reveal what these worlds might be like.

We have much to learn about super-Earths like TOI-715 b.

"They are indeed very exciting planets," Renyu Hu, an exoplanet researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, told Mashable in 2022.

---

Featured Video For You

---

NASA spacecraft snaps image of ancient, winding rivers on Mars

---

• Games
• Social Good
• Digital Culture
• Science
• Entertainment
• Life
• Shopping
• Tech

• Testing Windows 10 Performance Before and After the Meltdown Flaw Emergency Patch
• Astrology for beginners: what the common terms on your FYP mean
• How food became the next frontier for YouTubers
• John Carpenter's maligned 'Prince of Darkness' deserves your attention
• 'The Last of Us' Season 2, episode 3's opening credits has a heartbreaking change
• Apple Watch for 'extreme sports' will have a larger display, report says
• Poem: Jean Valentine, “Birthday Letter from South Carolina”
• Richard Fariña’s “Been So Down It Looks Like Up to Me” Turns 50
• Anker raises Amazon prices amid US tariffs
• R. Crumb Is Still Weird (Thank God!)

• Dude advertises his mixtape on Wendy's sign, promptly gets fired
• China's LeEco prepares to take over the U.S. with phones, TVs and cars
• Facebook unveils new plans to dominate your social life
• Woman made the best personalized Renaissance paintings for her sister's birthday
• Americans brainstorm who else Trump could bring to this debate
• Knicks star Derrick Rose and two friends cleared in civil sex assault trial
• iMessage hack floods Apple users with Chinese texts
• Eminem's new track, 'Campaign Speech,' calls out Donald Trump and everything else
• Get an early look at the new champion skins coming to 'League of Legends'
• Hugh Laurie from 'House' takes on new doctor role in Hulu's 'Chance'

• Testing Windows 10 Performance Before and After the Meltdown Flaw Emergency Patch
• On the Road: The Loneliness of the Long
• Astrology for beginners: what the common terms on your FYP mean
• TikTokkers are hiding their deepest insecurities in product requests
• Sony launches new flagship XM6 headphones: Order them now
• The Art of Sandwich Making
• TikTok pokes fun at what are you listening to videos
• The Affections of the Cheese Guy
• Best keyboard deals: Save on Asus gaming keyboards at Amazon
• 'V/H/S85' uses this Throbbing Gristle song to give you nightmares

• The internet is talking like Kevin from 'The Office' now
• The cultural roots of slugging, gua sha, rice water, and other viral beauty trends
• Why “Mad Ducks and Bears” Is Plimpton’s Best Sports Book
• Astrology for beginners: what the common terms on your FYP mean
• NYT Strands hints, answers for May 1
• Time Diptychs and Mirrored Rooms: Art by Eric Green
• Watch: Ben Lerner Remembers Writing His First Poetry Collection
• Poem: Jean Valentine, “Birthday Letter from South Carolina”
• Best robot vacuum deal: Save $140 on roborock Q7 Max Robot Vacuum
• Lisa Hanawalt: Hot Dog Taste Test