NASA has discovered a larger, Earth-like exoplanet. Here’s more about it.
In an astonishing sequence of events, NASA has discovered an Earth-like exoplanet that is larger than Earth. The planet is currently orbiting an M-type star, nearly 37 million light-years from Earth.
The planet, named 508b, was discovered by the Subaru Telescope, an 8.2-meter flagship located at the Mauna Kea Observatory in Hawaii. The telescope is owned by the telescopes of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
According to NASA, the super-Earth orbits its M-type star in 10.8 days. It is 0.05366 AU from its star. The astronomical unit (AU, or au) is basically a unit of length equal to the mean, or mean, distance between the Earth and the Sun, that is, 149,597.870.7 kilometers (92.955,807.3 miles). ).
NASA recently tweeted, “Discovery Alert! A recently discovered exoplanet glides past and out of the habitable zone of its star. It is 37 light-years from Earth and is about 4 times the mass of our planet, making Ross 508b a super-Earth. One year there, one orbit, takes only 10.8 days! “
The exoplanet 508b orbits an M-type star, which is the most common type of star and is dimmer, cooler, and redder than the Sun, according to NASA.
“Its orbit takes it in and out of the habitable zone of its star,” NASA said in a blog. Such a planet could hold water on its surface and would be an important target for future observations to study the possibility of life around low-mass stars such as M dwarfs. it revolves around”.
Exoplanet 508b has Earth-like rocky terrain, which makes it possible for signs of life to exist. This discovery by the Subaru Telescope could allow scientists to study distant alien planets and look for signs of life.
