A sun with three planets grabs the attention of NASA these days.
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovered a star, known as “TESS Object of Interest 270,” or TOI 270, 73 light-years away from Earth that has three exoplanets orbiting it.
It’s been reported that these include a so-called “super-Earth” and two others that are described as Neptune-like.
“This system is exactly what TESS was designed to find — small, temperate planets that pass, or transit, in front of an inactive host star, one lacking excessive stellar activity, such as flares,” according to the study’s lead author, Maximilian Günther, in a statement on NASA’s official website.
“This star is quiet and very close to us, and therefore much brighter than the host stars of comparable systems. With extended follow-up observations, we’ll soon be able to determine the make-up of these worlds, establish if atmospheres are present and what gases they contain, and more.”
Three alien planets
According to Fox News, the smaller planet called TOI 270 b is of great interest and this one is pretty close to the star and only a bit larger than our home planet.
This planet has been described by NASA as an “oven hot world” and it orbits the star every 3.4 days. It’s just 25% larger than Earth and it might have a mass around 1.9 times larger compared to the one of Earth.
The online publication mentioned above also cites Stephen Kane, a UC Riverside associate professor of planetary astrophysics, in a separate statement: “We’ve found very few planets like this in the habitable zone, and many fewer around a quiet star, so this is rare.”
He continued and said, “We don’t have a planet quite like this in our solar system.”
The other two planets are compared to some mini-Neptunes by NASA. You can read the complete results in order to find out more details.
I have been blogging and posting articles for over eight years, but my passion for writing dates back in 2000. I am especially enthusiastic about technology, science, and health-related issues. When I’m not researching and writing the latest news, I’m either watching sci-fi and horror movies or checking out places worth visiting and building deep memories for later in life. I believe in empathy and continually improving myself.