Researchers have discovered an exoplanet ideally situated to be a ‘water world’ full of deep oceans. An international team led by the University of Montreal said the planet is orbiting a star called TOI-1452, about 100 light-years away from Earth. The exoplanet – or planet outside our solar system – is larger in size and mass than Earth and is believed to be just the right distance from its star for liquid water to exist on its surface. Scientists have described it as a “super-Earth” – an extrasolar planet that is potentially rocky like ours, but more massive. “TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet we have found to date” – CHARLES CADIEUX The planet, TOI-1452 b, is predicted to be 70% larger than Earth and about five times larger. NASA said that if this planet is an ocean planet, its density suggests that it could have a very deep ocean. While the Earth’s surface is 70% water, the oceans make up less than 1% of the Earth’s mass. Computer simulations of the newly discovered exoplanet showed that water could account for up to 30% of its mass. It was NASA’s TESS space telescope, which scans the sky for planetary systems similar to our own, that put the researchers on the trail. The team was led by Charles Cadieux, a PhD student at the University of Montreal and a member of the Institute for Research on Exoplanets. Cadieux and his team used a special camera installed at the Mont Mégantic Observatory (OMM) to get more information about the exoplanet. “OMM played a critical role in confirming the nature of this signal and estimating the planet’s radius,” Cadieux said. “TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet we have found to date. Its radius and mass suggest a much lower density than would be expected for a planet composed primarily of metal and rock like Earth.” The research team and NASA said the exoplanet is well-positioned to be further investigated by the James Webb Space Telescope, the powerful observatory that recently revealed stunning images of Jupiter. Being 100 light years away is pretty close in astronomical terms. The team said researchers can hope to study the exoplanet’s atmosphere and test the ocean planet hypothesis. It’s also in a region of the sky that the telescope can observe year-round. 10 things you need to know straight to your inbox every day. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republic’s digest of key tech science news.
