New planet discovered

New planet discovered – Named TOI 700 d. NASA has announced that its planet-hunter Tess satellite has discovered a new planet the size of Earth and at a distance neither too close nor too far from its star may have water present.

The star TOI 700 is small, about 40% of the size and mass of our Sun, with a surface temperature less than half. The Tess satellite discovered three planets around this star, named TOI 700 b, c, and d. Only the "d" is in the so-called "habitable" area.

It is almost the size of the Earth (20% more) and circles its star in 37 days. It receives 86% of the energy supplied by the Sun to the Earth. It remains to be seen what it is made of. The researchers generated models based on the size and type of the star, in order to predict the composition of the atmosphere and the surface temperature.

Multiple astronomers will now observe the planet with other instruments, obtaining new data that may correspond to one of the models predicted by NASA.

The system was nearly missed by Tess, but several amateur astronomers, including a high school student by the name of Alton Spencer, praised by NASA, discovered an initial classification error. This helped to understand the true nature of the system. The discovery was then confirmed by the Spitzer space telescope.

A few other planets of a similar type have been discovered before, notably by the old Kepler space telescope, but this is the first by Tess, launched in 2018. "

Last local news

Evening Update Friday 21st February 2025

A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ... Evening Update Friday 21st February 2025 Read More

21/02/2025

French Riviera News Friday 21 February 2025

A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968... French Riviera News Friday 21 February 2025 Read More

20/02/2025

Evening Update Thursday 20th February 2025

In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ... Evening Update Thursday 20th February 2025 Read More

20/02/2025

French Riviera News Thursday 20 February 2025

The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ... French Riviera News Thursday 20 February 2025 Read More

19/02/2025

Evening Update Wednesday 19th February 2025

Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ... Evening Update Wednesday 19th February 2025 Read More

19/02/2025