Discovery of a second planet the size of Earth that may be habitable around a nearby star

An exoplanet the size of Earth has been discovered by a NASA probe circling a dwarf star some 100 light years away.

THE Planet TOI-700E is 95% the size of our planet and is most likely rocky. The object orbiting the tiny, chilly M dwarf star TOI 700 I sthe fourth planet to be discovered. The NASA Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS mission, discovered every exoplanet.

The size of Earth is shared by another planet in the system, TOI 700D, which was found in 2020. These two exoplanets are both in the habitable zone of their stars, or close enough to the star to have liquid water on their surfaces. The presence of liquid water suggests that the planets may be or have been suitable for life.

The paper on the exoplanet has been accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal Letters. The finding of the fourth planet was revealed on Tuesday at the 241^st meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Seattle.