Hubble Telescope Discovers Earth-Sized Exoplanet Just 22 Light-Years Away

The iconic Hubble telescope has confirmed the existence of an Earth-sized exoplanet just 22 light-years from Earth, making it among the nearest exoplanets to our planet.

NASA

Where is the exoplanet situated?

The exoplanet is located in the constellation Eridanus and is called LTT 1445Ac. It orbits LTT 1445A, one of the three red dwarf stars that make up the triple system of LTT 1445. When it was first found by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2022, it was considered just another among thousands of exoplanets that are now considered common.

How are such exoplanets found?

Scientists wanted to find out how big the planet really is. Usually, such planets are discovered as they move in front of their parent star. When this happens, the light from the star dips. By observing this, astronomers can figure out the size and orbit of a planet, along with other properties - that is, if they see this happen too often.

If the planet LTT 1445Ac passed cleanly in front of its star, it might be about the size of Earth. But if it only grazes the disc of the star, it could be the size of Jupiter as only a part of the planet would obstruct the disc.

Also read: Hubble Telescope Captures Rare Galaxy With A Luminous Centre

NASA

There is where Hubble comes in. The problem with TESS was just it lacked a high enough resolution. To fix this problem, scientists turned to NASA's Hubble Telescope, which is 3 decades older than TWSS but still has a higher resolution.

Is it habitable?

Based on Hubble data, scientists concluded that LTT 1445Ac made a clean transit in front of its star and is only 1.07 times the size of the Earth. While it seems like a close match for humanity's far-off space ambitions, it's not quite habitable, still. The planet has a surface temperature of 260¡ãC (about 500¡ãF).

What will scientists learn?

Even then, scientists hope to learn a lot of things owing to LTT 1445Ac's proximity to us. They hope to study it's atmosphere and learn more details that could be helpful in the future as humans attempt to find alien life.

"Transiting planets are exciting since we can characterize their atmospheres with spectroscopy, not only with Hubble but also with the James Webb Space Telescope," said Emily Pass of the Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, New Atlas reported.

NASA

Also read: Hubble Captures Supermassive Black Hole Eating A Star Millions Of Light Years Away

"Our measurement is important because it tells us that this is likely a very nearby terrestrial planet. We are looking forward to follow-on observations that will allow us to better understand the diversity of planets around other stars."

The research is set to be published in The Astronomical Journal. What do you think about this astonishing discovery? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com and click here for our how-to guides.