My Earliest Planetary Experience

From my very first trip to the Kennedy Space Center in 5th grade, I have been obsessed with the final frontier. Once I realized my dream of being an astronaut was not likely to come true, I turned to reading and learning everything I could about new discoveries made in our galaxy and beyond. While I think it’s important to take care of the planet we have, understanding our celestial neighbors can help provide insight into our own Earth. Also, I believe Pluto will always be a planet.

While scientific discoveries are made practically every day, there is still far more that we don’t know about our solar system than we do. Even in recent months, entire new planets have been discovered. But what does this mean for us? And what are the implications for the future of astronomy? In this article, we will delve into the newly discovered planets, their characteristics, and how this could affect what we know about our solar system and beyond.

New Planets Discovered in 2022

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), a group of 65 newly discovered exoplanets has increased the total number of confirmed exoplanets to just over 5,000. An exoplanet is any planet that is beyond our solar system. These discoveries are due to the Transmitting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Launched in 2018, the satellite has made groundbreaking discoveries and put more exoplanets on the map for us to explore.

Have They Found New Planets in Our Solar System?

While there are no new planets in our Solar System, just 33 lightyears away, the TESS has discovered two rocky planets orbiting a bright red dwarf star named HD 260655. To put that into perspective, our closest neighboring planet, Mars, is about one lightyear away from us and takes about seven months of space travel to reach it. HD 260655 b and HD 260655 c, named after the star which they orbit, are part of the small group of exoplanets located relatively close to Earth that also has the same rocky composition as our home.

Are the New Planets Habitable?

While these new planets’ rocky composition may be similar to Earth’s, many more factors contribute to whether a planet can support life. It's estimated that the temperature on HD 260655 b, which is closer to the star, is 816°F or 435°C while HD 260655 c is estimated to be 543°F or 284°C, making it likely these planets aren’t habitable. However, the actual temperature of the surface of these planets would depend on the presence and composition of their atmospheres.

Who Discovered the New Planets?

The discovery of these new exoplanets was made by an international collaboration of astronomers. Led by Rafael Luque from the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, Spain and the University of Chicago, the team used the data obtained from the TESS mission and published their findings in the scientific journal “Astronomy & Astrophysics” in June of 2022.

How Often are New Planets Discovered?

Thousands of exoplanets have already been discovered and there are even more candidates that require further exploration. The first exoplanets were discovered just two decades ago. Since then, potential exoplanets undergo rigorous observation to determine if they are a true exoplanet.

How Many Planets Have Been Found Outside Our Solar System?

In March of 2022, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory released the discovery of 65 new exoplanets just outside our solar system. These 65 new exoplanets join an ever-growing group of over 5,000 planets added to the NASA Exoplanet Archive. The process to be admitted to the archive involves multiple verification methods including being published in a peer-reviewed paper and being confirmed using multiple types of detection methods or analytical techniques.

What is the Composition of the Newly Discovered Planets?

These planets can vary in size and composition and range from relatively smaller, rocky planets to large gaseous giants, like Jupiter. The exoplanets HD 260655 b and HD 260655 c are considered “super-Earths” meaning that they have that similar rocky composition but are much larger in size.

How Did Scientists Find These Planets?

For an exoplanet to be recognized, it must undergo strict observations to prove its validity. But what tools do astronomers do to identify these heavenly bodies? Along with the TESS, NASA has technology like the James Webb Telescope – the most powerful telescope ever built. The images of the newly discovered exoplanets that were captured by this telescope are critical in examining their atmospheres. The light from the atmospheres is used to read which gases are present and to determine if there are possible conditions that make it habitable.

How Many Types of Planets Are There?

Properties like size or mass, temperature, and composition determine which of the following types of planets a newly discovered heavenly body may fall under.

· Gas Giant

· Neptunian

· Super-Earth

· Terrestrial

How Are New Planets Classified?

Using the characteristics of the newly identified planets, astronomers classify planets into one of the above categories. Gas Giants range from the size of Saturn or Jupiter but can also be much larger. Their temperatures are generally extremely hot as a result of the close proximity to the stars they orbit. Neptunian planets, named for their similarity in size to Neptune or Uranus, are still gaseous but have a mixed composition with a rocky core and hydrogen and helium-rich outer atmospheres. Super-Earths have a similar rocky composition to our Earth but are larger in size and may or may not have atmospheres. Lastly, terrestrial planets are Earth-sized and composed of rock, silicate, carbon, and/or water and require further testing to determine their possible atmospheres.

Summary and Newly Discovered Planet Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Newly discovered planets HD 260655 b and HD 260655 c, located just outside our solar system, are just the beginning of exciting discoveries of new planets both in our solar system and beyond.

What is an exoplanet?

Why do new planets have weird names?

Are there more planets like Earth?