TOI-700 d

 

NASA

The search for life on other planets has long been fruitless, but scientists now believe that they have found a potentially habitable planet called TOI-700 d.

The Earth-like planet is 102 light-years away from us, but it does seem to have some interesting properties. The planet was discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, which is used to look at distant star systems. Interestingly, it is a similar size to Earth and much like our planet, it orbits its star in a habitable zone. Of course, the size of a planet does not mean it will be similar to ours, but the distance the planet is from its nearest star has led to conjecture about water and possible atmospheric conditions.

PA Images

Three papers in The Astrophysical Journal have speculated about the possibility of the planet being habitable or containing life already. However, space expeditions to find out more about this ideal planet will not be taking place any time soon.

The possibility of investigating this planet further is currently out of reach, and it seems that no rockets or satellites that are currently available could provide a better view of the planet. This means elements like its atmosphere and whether it has water reserves remain a mystery. Going forward it seems that the way we look at planets or how we travel across space will have to improve in order to better understand this possible alternative to Earth.

Despite being far away and containing mysteries, this is an exciting discovery. After all, part of the appeal of extraterrestrial life is its enigmatic nature, and this planet looks set to have some secrets for some time yet.