Latest news with #L98-59f
NDTV
4 days ago
- Science
- NDTV
Exoplanet 35 Light-Years Away Offers Hope for Life Beyond Earth
A team of scientists has studied the L 98-59 planetary system and confirmed the existence of a fifth planet, named L 98-59 f, in the star's habitable zone. The zone has conditions that could allow liquid water to exist. L 98-59 is a small red dwarf located just 35 light-years from Earth. In 2019, NASA's TESS space telescope found that it hosts three small transiting exoplanets. A fourth planet was revealed through radial velocity measurements with the European Southern Observatory's ESPRESSO spectrograph. Now, the team led by the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets (IREx) at the Universite de Montreal has found a fifth one in the system. "These new results paint the most complete picture we've ever had of the fascinating L 98-59 system," said Cadieux in the press release. "It's a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve by combining data from space telescopes and high-precision instruments on Earth, and it gives us key targets for future atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope [JWST]." The exoplanet has a minimum mass 2.8 times that of Earth and has been categorised as a super-Earth. L 98-59 f follows an almost perfectly circular orbit around its star, receiving roughly the same amount of stellar energy as Earth. Its location in the habitable zone suggests that liquid water could exist on its surface under suitable atmospheric conditions, making it a potential candidate to support life. If L 98-59 f has an atmosphere, telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may be able to detect water vapour, carbon dioxide or even biosignatures. Cadieux said that the discovery highlights the "diversity of exoplanetary systems" and also "strengthens the case for studying potentially habitable worlds around low-mass stars". "With its diversity of rocky worlds and range of planetary compositions, L 98-59 offers a unique laboratory to address some of the field's most pressing questions: What are super-Earths and sub-Neptunes made of? Do planets form differently around small stars? Can rocky planets around red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?" René Doyon, co-author of the study, who is a professor at UdeM and the Director of IREx, said. The findings are reported in research that will appear in The Astronomical Journal titled "Detailed Architecture of the L 98-59 System and Confirmation of a Fifth Planet in the Habitable Zone."
Sharjah 24
5 days ago
- Science
- Sharjah 24
New planet discovered 35 light years away
Discovery made using NASA's TESS Telescope The team utilised NASA's TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) space telescope to identify the planet, named L 98-59 f. It is one of five planets orbiting a red dwarf star in the L 98-59 system. Located in the habitable zone L 98-59 f lies within the star's habitable zone, the region where liquid water could potentially exist. It receives a similar amount of stellar energy as Earth does from the Sun, making it a candidate for possible habitability. A compact and diverse planetary system The L 98-59 system was previously believed to host only four planets. However, after extensive analysis of data from both space- and ground-based telescopes, the fifth planet was identified. Detected through stellar motion Unlike the other planets in the system, L 98-59 f does not transit between its star and Earth, making it invisible to standard transit detection methods. Instead, scientists detected it by observing subtle shifts in the motion of its host star — a method known as the radial velocity technique.
Canada News.Net
5 days ago
- Science
- Canada News.Net
Planet with potential habitability discovered 35 light years away
MONTREAL, 26th July, 2025 (WAM) -- A research team from the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the University of Montreal has discovered a planet with characteristics that may make it suitable for life, located about 35 light years from Earth. According to Russia Today, the team used NASA's TESS space telescope to identify the planet, named L 98-59 f, which is one of five planets orbiting a red dwarf star. The planet lies within the "habitable zone" where liquid water could exist and receives a stellar energy amount similar to what Earth receives from the Sun. It is part of a compact and notably diverse planetary system. Previously, the L 98-59 star system was known to host only four planets, but detailed analysis of ground-based and space telescope data revealed the presence of a fifth planet. Unlike the other planets in the system, this one does not transit directly between its star and Earth. Instead, it was detected through subtle changes in the host star's motion.
