Current Affairs - Science

The NASA scientists have characterized the first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system that may be suitable for life. The super-earth planet - named GJ 357 d - was spotted by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. It is estimated that planet is about six times the size of our planet and located a mere 31 light-years away. The planet orbits a dwarf star in the Hydra constellation and may have the right conditions to support liquid water as it lies within its star's habitable zone. It may be noted that a super-Earth is an extrasolar planet with a mass higher than Earth's, but substantially below those of the Solar System's ice giants, Uranus and Neptune.

One of the main aims of the mission is to explore and extract polymetallic nodules. These are small potato-like rounded accretions composed of minerals such as manganese, nickel, cobalt, copper and iron hydroxide.

A super-Earth was discovered by an international team of astronomers led by Lisa Kaltenegger and is considered to be the first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system. Super earth The super-Earth is named as GJ 357 d and it was discovered by NASA's Translating Exoplanets Survey Satellite (TESS) according to new modelling research in "Astrophysical Journal Letters".This super Earth, GJ 357 d located about 31 light-years away from our solar system is more massive than earth and could contain liquid on its surface.The discovery of the GJ 357 system was announced in the journal "Astronomy & Astrophysics" by Astronomers of Spain in July. Now, the system has GJ 357 b, GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d.

The Transmitting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) of NASA has discovered 3 new planets which are the smallest and nearest known to date. The planets include a small, rocky super-Earth and 2 Sub-neptunes orbiting a dwarf star just 73 light-years away from our earth. A paper describing the system was published in the journal Nature Astronomy. The members present in the planetary system are a dwarf star which is 40% smaller than the size of the sun and the three exoplanets which are named as TOI 270b, TOI 270c, TOI 270d orbiting the star every 3.4 days 5.7 days and 11.4 days respectively. The TOI 270c and TOI 270d are Neptune like planets which are half the size of our icy giants( Uranus and Neptune). The innermost planet is the TOI 270b and is expected to be 25% bigger than earth.

According to US, National Hurricane Center has said that tropical storm Erick has grown in strength to a hurricane in the eastern Pacific Ocean.