TOI-715 b is a super-Earth exoplanet in the habitable zone of its parent M-type star, TOI-715.[1][2][3] The planet is 1.55 times larger than Earth, and is located at 0.083 astronomical units (12,400,000 km) from its star.[4] The planet orbits in the habitable zone of its star and has an equilibrium temperature of 234 K (−39 °C).[4] It was discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2023;[5] according to the authors of the discovery paper, it is the first TESS discovery in the conservative habitable zone.[4]
| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Dransfield et al. |
| Discovery site | TESS |
| Discovery date | May 10, 2023 |
| transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.083±0.0027 AU | |
| Inclination | 89.856°+0.018° −0.017° |
| Star | TOI-715 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.55±0.064 R🜨 | |
| Temperature | 234±12 K (−39±12 °C) |
NASA stated that the James Webb Space Telescope may be used in the future to look for evidence of water or planetary atmosphere.[6] Additionally, there may be a second exoplanet in the same system, TIC 271971130.02, that, if confirmed, would be the smallest known habitable-zone exoplanet.[6]
Conservative habitable zone
editThe concept of "conservative habitable zone" was defined by Koparappu et al. in 2014. It is the region where the planet receives insolation equivalent to 0.42 to 0.842 times the insolation received from Earth by the Sun.[7] As TOI-715 b has a insolation of 0.67+0.15
−0.20 S🜨, it is located inside the conservative habitable zone.[4]
TOI-715
editTOI-715 is a red dwarf star located 42 parsecs (140 ly) from the Earth in the constellation Volans,[note 1] very close to the southern celestial pole.[4] The star is smaller and cooler than the Sun and has an apparent magnitude of 16.7 and is too faint to be seen with the naked eye or even a small telescope.[9]
Further reading
edit- Jain, Vrinda (February 5, 2024). "NASA discovers potentially habitable 'super-Earth' 137 Light-Years Away". Hindustan Times.
- Sarnoff, Leah (February 5, 2024). "NASA announces new 'super-Earth': Exoplanet orbits in 'habitable zone,' is only 137 light-years away". ABC News.
- Schwenck, Lennart (February 6, 2024). "Auf der Suche nach Leben: Forscher entdecken Super-Erde in bewohnbarer Zone" [In search for life, researchers find super-Earth in habitable zone]. Münchner Merkur (in German). Munich.
- Messier, Ashlyn (February 7, 2024). "NASA announces potentially habitable 'super-Earth,' only 137 light-years away". Fox News.
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "TOI-715 b". Exoplanet catalog. NASA. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
- ^ Ralls, Eric (February 4, 2024). "Super-Earth discovered in the "optimal" habitable zone of its star, TOI-715 b". Earth.com.
- ^ "NASA discovers 'Super-Earth' 189 light-years away". The Economic Times. February 4, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Dransfield, Georgina; et al. (2023-10-28). "A 1.55 R⊕ habitable-zone planet hosted by TOI-715, an M4 star near the ecliptic South Pole". Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. 527 (1): 35–52. arXiv:2305.06206. doi:10.1093/mnras/stad1439. ISSN 0035-8711.
[W]hile several 'habitable zone' planets discovered by TESS have been confirmed (e.g. Gilbert et al. 2020; Vach et al. 2022), none yet have fallen within the conservative habitable zone as described by Kopparapu et al. (2013)—until now.
- ^ Nazzaro, Miranda (February 5, 2024). "NASA announces 'super-Earth,' exoplanet in 'habitable zone'". The Hill.
- ^ a b Brennan, Pat (January 31, 2024). "Discovery Alert: A 'Super-Earth' in the Habitable Zone". NASA News and Events. NASA.
- ^ Gough, Evan (2024-02-02). "A Super-Earth (and Possible Earth-Sized) Exoplanet Found in the Habitable Zone". Universe Today. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ^ Vallenari, A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (2023). "Gaia Data Release 3. Summary of the content and survey properties". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 674: A1. arXiv:2208.00211. Bibcode:2023A&A...674A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202243940. S2CID 244398875. Gaia DR3 record for this source at VizieR.
- ^ "★ TOI 715". Stellar Catalog. Retrieved 2024-06-18.