Possible planet found in habitable zone of star about 2,000 degrees hotter than our sun
Researchers have identified a possible planet inside the habitable zone of a star, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region, if confirmed.
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THE TAKEAWAY
- Researchers have identified a possible planet inside the habitable zone of a star, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region.
- The habitable zone is a term astronomers use to describe the region around a star where conditions could theoretically support liquid water.
- NASA has confirmed more than 6,300 exoplanets thus far — planets beyond our solar system.
Researchers have identified a possible planet inside the habitable zone of a star roughly 2,000 degrees Celsius hotter than our sun, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region, if confirmed.
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NASA habitability infographic
(NASA Goddard Space Flight Center / FOX Weather)
The habitable zone is a term astronomers use to describe the region around a star where conditions could theoretically support liquid water.
A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal identified a candidate planet designated HD 156295 b, which researchers estimate to be between 5.2 and 7.4 times as massive as Jupiter.
Meanwhile, the star itself, HD 156295, is an A-type star, about twice the sun's radius and about nine times as bright.
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A shooting star and the milky way are pictured in Grossmugl, Austria, on August 13, 2026.
((Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK / APA / AFP via Getty Images) / Austria OUT / Getty Images)
According to the paper, this sytem is roughly 140 million light years away — right in our cosmic neck of the woods. If the Milky Way Galaxy was the size of the Earth, this distance would be comparable to the distance between New York City and Newark, New Jersey.
The study analyzed observations from NASA’s TESS telescope, which was launched on April 18, 2018, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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HD 156295 is a kind of star that changes in brightness so regularly that scientists are able to find exoplanets and other orbiting companions by measuring tiny shifts in the timing of those changes.
The Milky Way is seen from Lajitas, Texas, on August 15, 2026.
((Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Researchers said continued observations from the TESS telescope, which is specifically tasked with finding exoplanets, and more powerful future telescopes can be used to confirm if, in fact, HD 156295 b is actually a planet.
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NASA has confirmed more than 6,300 exoplanets thus far — planets beyond our solar system.