NASA announces new 'super-Earth': Exoplanet orbits in 'habitable zone,' is only 137 light-years away

ABC News ^ | February 5, 2024 | Leah Sarnoff

[John W]

Could a recently discovered "super-Earth" have the potential temperature and conditions to sustain life?

The new exoplanet is situated "fairly close to us" -- only 137 light-years away -- and orbits within a "habitable zone," according to NASA.

Astronomers say the planet, dubbed TOI-715 b, is about one and a half times the width of Earth and orbits a small, reddish star. The same system also might harbor a second, Earth-sized planet, which, if confirmed, "would become the smallest habitable-zone planet discovered by TESS [the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite] so far," NASA said in a Jan. 31 press release.

[Elsie]

What am I missing?

An ability to suspend belief.

[Robert DeLong]

Well, even if we could move on the speed of light, which we can't it would still take 137 years . Now supposedly that if we traveled at the speed of light, our time would actually slow down. But since we do not know to what degree, it's still fair to ask, would a human survive the trip. Would time catch up to a human when he does slow down to normal speed for humans?

People want to get all excited, but should the excitement be toned down? If the human did live, would the isolation have had an adverse affect on them?

Sorry, I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig for that experiment.

[SaveFerris]

(Exoplanet orbits in ‘habitable zone,’ is only 137 light-years away)

Only 137 light years!!

Hooray!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳

WE’RE SAVED!!!!!

[cockroach_magoo]

It’s Krypton!

I was thinking the heroic inhabitant of Super-earth would be Kryptoman.

And his only weakness would be Superearthite.

[Dad was my hero]

Fair statement and true, but how many of them know that something isn’t 10x closer but instead is 1/10th the distance?

[DouglasKC]

Might as well be a billion light years away.

[Terry L Smith]

How soon will the Jupiter 2 ship be launched to this planet?

[beethovenfan]

Oh boy, let’s go! oh, wait.........

[going hot]

gots to feather clutch, not dump it all at once.

[SunkenCiv]

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"I was thinking this globe enough till there sprang out so noiseless around me myriads of other globes." -- Walt Whitman

[minnesota_bound]

I have been to that 2nd earth. It is ok, the prices are kinda high at the resorts but they have a good buffet.
The green women are very... friendly.

[Mean Daddy]

How long would it take to slow down from the speed of light to a speed where they could land?

[TigersEye]

That’s close. I think I will start selling time share vacation condos on TOI-715 b.
Needs a better name though.

[plain talk]

How long would it take to slow down from the speed of light to a speed where they could land?

Probably twice as long or more than the time implied by your highest speed.

Just hitting a speck of dust at 10-20% the speed of light is fatal unless you have one mighty shield out front. Then there's the radiation.

A job for probes.

[citizen]

137 light years = 8.0537E+14 miles. That sounds like a lot.

[freedomjusticeruleoflaw]

Ridiculous. The odds that an Earth-like planet exits so close? Near zero.

[Olog-hai]

NASA, the media and their “super-earths”. Yawn.

[Revel]

Is there a Mitch McConnell there too?

[jonrick46]

Warp drive should get humans there.

[jonrick46]

I would be wild if all humans aboard the craft became half fly and half human. LOL