NASA finds Water World exoplanet; know how close it is to Earth

tech.hindustantimes.com:

Water is the elixir of life behind every living being on planet Earth. Without water, there is no life. The search for life across the universe depends on just one substance, water. As of now, the only planet capable of supporting life is Earth. But where did this water originate? Did it naturally occur on Earth? Or did it come from other planets or asteroids and comets? NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has made an astonishing discovery that will help in understanding the origin of water.

TESS is NASA's exoplanet tracking satellite which has discovered numerous exoplanets since its launch in 2018. Scientists announced on Wednesday that TESS has found an exoplanet blanketed by water. According to a study published in the Astronomical Journal, this exoplanet, named TOI-1452 b, is located nearly 100 million light years away from Earth. The discovery was made by a team of astronomers at the Universite de Montreal in Canada.

According to the team the exoplanet TOI-1452 b is far enough from its star to potentially support life. It is nearly 70 percent larger than Earth and has a slightly greater mass than Earth. The exoplanet's adequate distance from its star could mean the planet has a mild climate, making it the perfect conditions for life to originate and thrive.

Charles Cadieux, lead author of the study said in a press release on Wednesday,” TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet that we have found to date. Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than what one would expect for a planet that is basically made up of metal and rock, like Earth.”

This discovery comes at a time when the James Webb Space Telescope has just started looking into space, while already capturing