NASA scientists have discovered two exoplanets about the size of Earth rotating around their star in what is known as the “Habitable Zone” as they continue to search the heavens for evidence of extraterrestrial life. The two recently discovered exoplanets, TOI 700 d and TOI 700 e orbit a star that is only 100 light-years from Earth. Although both of these planets are in the planet’s habitable zone, it is unknown for certain whether they have water.
Discovery of both these exoplanets has been made by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite
Any potential liquid, such as water, freezes when a planet is too far from its star. The liquid evaporates into space if the planet is too near the star. These two possibilities are unlikely to be favorable for the emergence of life. But if water is there on that planet, to begin with, there is a region of space around every star where the temperature is exactly ideal for it to exist in a liquid state.
The habitable zone around the Sun is where Earth is located. It’s conceivable that TOI 700 e is a rocky planet. It is 95% the size of the planet Earth. The size of the second planet, TOI 700 d, is comparable to Earth’s. Both of these planets orbit the star known as TOI 700. Discovery of both these planets has been made by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite or TESS mission of NASA. Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite is an all-sky survey mission that will discover thousands of exoplanets around nearby bright stars. TESS launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
