Most of the exoplanets we have discovered aren't very Earth-like. They are larger than Earth and are more similar to gas giants Jupiter and Saturn than small and rocky. That is why it is exciting when a planet similar to Earth is found in the right place.
There is a planet called TOI-4306b that was discovered by NASA. They used a ground-based telescope to study a planet which is 30% larger than Earth and is very close to its star.
The researchers found another planet in the same system while looking at this planet. The second planet, named LP 890-9c, is 40% larger than Earth and travels further out from the star than Earth does. Because the star is smaller and cooler than our sun, this planet is in the right place.
One of the researchers, Robert Wells of the University of Bern, said in a statement that the second planet could potentially have liquid water on its surface. Wells warns that we shouldn't assume that the planet is comfortable for life because it isn't. Venus is inhospitable for life due to its high temperatures and pressure on its surface, but it is close to being in the habitable zone.
To learn more about the recently discovered planet, the researchers want to study it using a space telescope to look at its atmosphere and see if it's possible to live on.
We need to learn more about whether this planet can hold liquid surface water or not. This requires a lot of detailed observations, for instance with the James Webb Space Telescope.
The journal will publish the research.
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