New space telescope NASA TESS, which is used to search for new earth-like exoplanets, is in operation for only two months, but has already provided scientists the first results of their labors. An American Agency reported that two days of observations, the telescope has found two new candidate exoplanets.
About the first finding, the Agency reported on 19 September. Discovered the world of Pi Mensae c was the “super-Earth”. It wraps around the star PI table mountain in the constellation of table mountain and is situated at a distance of about 60 light-years from our planet. According to estimates NASA, data on its density suggests that the planet’s surface may contain water. But this fact is yet to be confirmed. The second object, called LHS 3844 b, orbits a red dwarf star LHS 3844 and is from us in light years 49. This is the opening NASA reported on his page on “Twitter”.
“The second planet candidate detected! Slightly larger than Earth, this planet revolves around the LHS 3844, dwarf star class M 49 light years away,” according to the space Agency.
Launched in April of this year, the space telescope TESS held the first test observations on 25 July (after the pictures flying in his field of vision the comet). The official operation of the telescope began on 7 August.
The first scientific observation of TESS, held August 7
The currently detected objects are treated by scientists as candidates for exoplanets. To prove the official status of the objects, scientists are collected through further observations. But now astronomers agencies noted that both the world represent a rocky, earth-like planet. However, they are hardly suitable for life, because it is very close to their stars. Planet Pi Mensae c (first found TESS) in the amount of two times the size of Earth. Its orbital period is only 6.27 day.
Planet LHS 3844 b size 1.3 times bigger than our planet and has got the “hot Land”. Its orbital period is only 11 hours. Because the planet is very close to the star, it is very likely subjected to too intense impact of the stellar wind, which blows away its atmosphere (if it exists).
Scientists at NASA hope that the new space telescope called TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), which was nicknamed the “hunter planet”, will be “a new step in the search for planets outside the Solar system, called exoplanets”. According to experts from NASA, the telescope will observe practically the entire sky, covering 350 times more space than the space telescope “Kepler”. The mission of the new telescope is designed for two years, during which he explores up to 85 percent of the sky, dividing it into 26 observation sectors.
For each of the sectors to watch for 27 days and then switch to the observations of others. According to estimates by NASA, the telescope will thus be able to explore more than half a million stars around the Solar system. Thanks TESS, scientists want to significantly increase the number of known exoplanets and to create a basis for future deeper research of these worlds.
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New telescope TESS in two days has discovered two new earth-like exoplanets
Nikolai Khizhnyak