100 light years away from Earth, an exoplanet may be covered in water, researchers say
An international team of researchers has discovered an exoplanet that could be completely covered in water.
It focuses on the planet TOI-1452b, which is found in the constellation Dragon and is situated around one hundred light-years distant from our own planet. It is larger and more massive than the Earth, and it is positioned in the so-called habitable zone, which indicates that the temperature is sufficient for liquid water to exist. This planet may have the potential to support life. The group of researchers has a theory that it may truly be a “ocean planet,” which refers to a planet that has a thick coating of water covering its surface.
It is not the first time that scientists have found an extrasolar planet or an extrasolar world with water. Even though a substantial amount of water ice covers several of Jupiter and Saturn’s moons, the new planet has a far higher percentage of water than even our world has. TOI-1452b is nearly five times more massive than Earth and is around 70 percent bigger than Earth. The fact that it has such a low density, however, suggests that a significant portion of its mass is composed of less dense components than those that are found within the interior of the Earth, such as water. It is estimated to consist of thirty percent water, whereas the water content of Earth is less than one percent. This indicates that it would be an excellent contender for an ocean planet.
The TESS space telescope, which is operated by NASA and is responsible for the discovery of the planet’s imprint, examines the sky for planetary systems that are similar to our own. The researchers speculated that there may be a planet in that region of the sky that is far larger than Earth because they saw a very minor dimming of the brightness of a portion of the sky. After that, they initiated a search that was more in-depth, which ultimately led to the finding of the planet TOI-1452b.
If the idea is accurate and there really is water on the surface of the new planet, then it may be an enticing new target in the hunt for alien life. However, no planet that is similar to Earth in terms of its ability to support life has been discovered up to this point.
The researchers stated that further study is required to verify their hypothesis that TOI-1452b is, in fact, a planet comprised of oceans. There is also the potential that it is a rocky planet with a very thin atmosphere, or even a more rocky planet with an atmosphere composed of hydrogen and helium. Both of these scenarios are possible.
The James Webb Space Telescope is going to be used by the researchers in the future for their studies. The planet is located in an area that permits telescopic observation throughout the entire year and is close enough to be able to analyze its atmosphere. In addition, the observations could provide researchers with the opportunity to better understand the nature and properties of this amazing planet.
