(CNN, WIAT) — Otherworldly discoveries alert! After less than two years since launching, NASA’s planet-hunting mission may not be far out from success.
NASA’S telescope known as TESS (which stands for transiting exoplanet survey satellite) may have found its first potentially habitable planet a mere 101 light-years away.
The findings were announced at the American Astronomical Society on Monday in Honolulu.
According to NASA, the exoplanet, called TOI 700 d, is the size of earth and is orbiting a star. It’s at just the right distance to support liquid water on the surface in the star’s habitable zone. Two other planets, TOI 700 b and c, were also found orbiting the star.
Astronomers confirmed their discovery using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope infrared capabilities with follow-up observations.
Scientists say it’s possible to launch follow-up observations due to the exoplanet’s proximity.
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