This illustration reflects that exoplanet LHS 475 b is rocky and almost precisely the same size as Earth based on new evidence from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The planet is only a few hundred degrees warmer than our home planet.
The planet whips around its star in just two days, far faster than any planet in the solar system, but its red dwarf star is less than half the temperature of the Sun. Researchers will follow up this summer with another observation with Webb, which they hope will allow them to definitively conclude if the planet has an atmosphere.
LHS 475 b is relatively close, 41 light-years away, in the constellation Octans.
This illustration is based on observations from Webb. Webb has not captured a direct image of this planet.
Credits
Illustration
NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)
