Exoplanets

In News

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet. 

• Researchers have labelled the planet as LHS 475 b, and it’s roughly the same size as Earth.
• Located just 41 light-years away, the planet orbits very close to a red dwarf star and completes a full orbit in just two days.

What are Exoplanets?

• Exoplanets are planets that orbit other stars and are beyond our solar system.
• The first exoplanets were discovered in the 1990s
  • According to NASA, to date, more than 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered.
• Exoplanets come in a host of different sizes. They can be gas giants bigger than Jupiter or as small and rocky as Earth. They are also known to have different kinds of temperatures — boiling hot to freezing cold.
• Relevance of Studying them: Studying exoplanets not only broadens our understanding of other solar systems but also helps us piece together information about our own planetary system and origin. 
  • This helps scientists determine if a discovered world is habitable or not

Source:IE