Are we the only higher life forms in the endless universe rather than the vast ocean? Due to the existential loneliness of the human race, the discovery of extraterrestrial life has become a long-cherished dream of mankind. On August 24, ‘NASA’ delivered news that will change our loneliness into anticipation. An exoplanet with water was discovered with the space telescope ‘TESS’.
Dubbed ‘TOI-1452 b’, the exoplanet was discovered by international researchers at the University of Montreal’s Institute for Exoplanets (iREx), Canada. It is over 70% larger than the Earth’s diameter and has about 5 times its mass. It is estimated that up to 30% of that mass is composed of water.
Compared to the Earth, which is called the ‘blue planet’, the Earth’s surface is covered with water 70%, but water occupies less than 1% of the mass. In other words, ‘TOI-1452 b’ may be a planet covered by a deep sea. Considering the radius and mass here, it would have been made of metal and rock like Earth. Taken together, ‘TOI-1452 b’ is presumed to be a Habitable-Zone.
The ‘James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)’ will continue to conduct follow-up observations of ‘TOI-1452 b’. In addition, the discovery of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the gas planet ‘WASP-39 b’ located near the constellation of Virgo may surprise news within a few years.
University of Montreal Institute for Exoplanets (iREx) Official Website
Official NASA James Webb Space Telescope website
image source | Benoit Gougeon, University of Montreal