Earth's Sister Discovered 100 Light-Years Away

A new Earth-like planet has been discovered in the so-called habitable zone, the ideal distance from its star for liquid water to exist on its surface. Called TOI 700 d, it is 100 light-years away and was identified by NASA's new planet-hunting telescope, TESS. The result was announced in Honolulu at the American Astronomical Society conference by a team led by Emily Gilbert of the University of Chicago. Also participating were Italian astrophysicist Giovanni Covone, an associate at the University of Naples Federico II and a researcher at the National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (INFN), and student Luca Cacciapuoti of the University of Naples Federico II. "This result is very important for TESS because it is the first Earth-like planet discovered by the space telescope," Covone told ANSA. The next step, he adds, will be to verify whether the planet has an atmosphere and its chemical composition. "We'll look especially for traces of oxygen and water, which," the expert explains, "are the first important indications of the possible presence of life." TESS has found three planets around the star TOI 700, a red dwarf with a mass about half that of the Sun. Of the three alien planets, the most fascinating is TOI 700 d, which is 20% larger than Earth. The planet always faces its star with the same face, but experts believe this may not be a limiting factor for the emergence of life. However, Covone notes, "we need to see what kind of life could form on a planet without alternating day and night, which is why TOI 700 d will be a great laboratory for astrobiology."