NASA discovers 'super-Earth', located 137 light-years away

US space agency NASA has announced the discovery of a ‘super-Earth,’ a planet that might support life and is located 137 light-years away. Dubbed 'TOI-715 b', it is said to be about one and a half times as wide as Earth

“A 'super-Earth' ripe for further investigation orbits a small, reddish star that is, by astronomical standards, fairly close to us – only 137 light-years away. The same system also might harbour a second, Earth-sized planet,” NASA said in a statement.

The planet orbits within the ‘conservative’ habitable zone around its parent star, which might give it the right temperature for liquid water to form on its surface.

“Several other factors would have to line up, of course, for surface water to be present, especially having a suitable atmosphere. But the conservative habitable zone – a narrower and potentially more robust definition than the broader “optimistic” habitable zone – puts it in prime position, at least by the rough measurements made so far. The smaller planet could be only slightly larger than Earth, and also might dwell just inside the conservative habitable zone," read the statement.

It further stated that the 'Super-Earth' completes a full orbit in just 19 days. The parent star of 'TOI-715 b' is a red dwarf, which is smaller and cooler than the Sun.

“A number of such stars are known to host small, rocky worlds... These planets make far closer orbits than those around stars like our Sun, but because red dwarfs are smaller and cooler, the planets can crowd closer and still be safely within the star’s habitable zone,” it stated.

The new planet was found with the help of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).

It stated that 'TOI-175 b' has joined the list of habitable-zone planets that could be more closely scrutinised by the Webb telescope, adding that much will depend on the planet’s other properties, including "how massive it is and whether it can be classed as a 'water world' – making its atmosphere, if present, more prominent and far less difficult to detect than that of a more massive, denser and drier world, likely to hold its lower-profile atmosphere closer to the surface."