NASA finds a new planet close to Earth

Recently, NASA found a new planet. Because it is located in a red dwarf, it was named Wolf 1069b, and is considered an exoplanet. Relative to Earth, it is at a distance of approximately 31 light years, according to estimates by the James Webb Telescope. See a little more about.

Wolf 1069b: planet discovered by NASA

The James Webb Telescope discovered a planet located at a distance of 31 light years from Earth. It is close to a red dwarf, a type of star with low luminosity, and therefore received the name Wolf 1069b. In addition to discovering the location, the telescope revealed some details about the planet, such as its approximate dimensions.

Wolf 1069b

The above photo was taken by a satellite in September 2022 and shows the newly discovered exoplanet. It reveals features similar to those of other planets, such as rings, similar to those of Saturn. This discovery was published in the journal

Astronomy & Astrophysics, with analyzes conducted by astronomer Diana Kossakowski, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy.

Earth-like features

According to the researchers, Wolf 1069b has a possibly habitable atmosphere. With this discovery, the new planet enters the list of regions in the universe where life could have developed. It orbits the red dwarf Wolf 1069b and is the sixth closest planet to that galaxy's habitable zone.

Project Carmenes

This project studies planets with potential for habitation. They created a device capable of finding worlds with the capacity to be habitable, using the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain.

Project lead astronomer Diana Kossakowski said in a statement:

"When we analyzed the data from the star Wolf 1069, we discovered a clear, low-amplitude signal of what appears to be a planet with a mass close to that of Earth."

According to the scientist, although the new planet has a smaller distance from its star compared to the Sun and Earth, the radiation received is smaller there. According to estimates, the radiation received by the planet is equivalent to 65% of what we receive from the Sun. This all makes the place conducive to the development of life.