NASA has confirmed that the James Webb Space Telescope, launched last year, has discovered its first extrasolar planet. The newly found planet was named LHS 475 b, its diameter is almost the same as that of Earth.
The telescope spotted the new planet when it passed in front of a red dwarf star smaller than the Sun and with a surface temperature half that of the Sun, blocking some of its light. The planet orbits very close to its star and receives more radiation than Earth. Its circulation time is only 2 days. LHS 475 b is “only” 41 light-years away from Earth, reports the research team notice issued.
Researchers estimate that the planet’s surface temperature may be a few hundred degrees higher than what we experience on Earth, making life unlikely. There is currently no information on the composition of the atmosphere, which will be revealed during further investigations, but it is believed that there is a lot of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere. The planet is therefore more like Venus than Earth.
Scientists will announce more information about the new planet in the summer.
