NASA reported the discovery of an Earth-size planet

NASA reported the discovery of an Earth-size planet

Part of: GS Prelims – National Income and GS-III- Science & Technology

In News

• NASA reported the discovery of an Earth-size planet, named TOI 700 d

•  Found by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission

Do you know?

• Life on Earth started in water, and water is a necessary ingredient for life
• When scientists search for the possibility of alien life, any rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star is an exciting find.

Value addition for Prelims

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission

• Space telescope for NASA’s Explorers program, 
• Designed to search for exoplanet

Goldilocks zone:

• Also called as  the habitable zone
• It is the range of orbits around a star within which a planetary surface can support liquid water given sufficient atmospheric pressure

Exoplanet :

• Also Extrasolar planet is a planet outside the Solar System.
• least massive planet known is Draugr
• HR 2562 b is the most massive planet known