Scientists Discover New Earth-Sized Planet

Scientists have discovered a new Earth-sized planet using data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), NASA said.

Footage shared by NASA, JPL-Caltech, Robert Hurt, and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center shows a visualization of the newly discovered world, named TOI 700 e.

NASA said the planet was around 95 percent the size of Earth and likely rocky. TOI 700 e is orbiting within the habitable zone of its star, meaning there could be liquid water its surface.

Scientists had previously discovered TOI 700 b, c, and d, all orbiting TOI 700, a small, cool dwarf star around 100 light-years away, in the southern constellation Dorado. TOI 700 b is about 90 percent the size of Earth. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Robert Hurt/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center via Storyful

Video transcript

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- NASA's TESS found a second Earth-sized world in the habitable zone of the TOI 700 system. This planet called TOI 700 e, is likely rocky and orbits closer to the star than its sibling TOI 700 d, another Earth-sized planet. Planet e orbits within the star's optimistic habitable zone.

These are distances from the star where liquid water could exist under the right conditions. Planet d is in the conservative zone, where it is more likely that both an Earth-like atmosphere and liquid water could exist. This discovery emerged from TESS's second survey of the southern sky. Scientists hope to find more of these exciting new worlds and the ever-growing data from TESS.