ESO Announces the NEW Transiting Exoplanet, LHS 475 b, With Extremely Similar Mass, Radius and Temperature to that of Earth in the Habitable Zone and is the MOST Similar to Earth So Far

**The Transiting Exoplanet LHS 475 b**<br><br>ESO just announced a big discovery. Researchers have announced that the Transiting Exoplanet LHS 475 b has been discovered using the James Webb Space Telescope. The discovery is exciting because out of all known transiting exoplanets, it is the one most similar to Earth. About 41 light years from here, the exoplanet LHS 475 b, located in the constellation Octant, is 99% the mass of our own planet and 99% the radius of our own planet. It orbits its star every 2 Earth days. LHS 475 b even has a similar temperature to Earth. <br><br>However, there are a few key differences. It is tidally locked, which means that the same side of the planet always faces the star and the other side of the planet always faces away from the star. Its surface is likely to be extremely hot on one side and very cold on the other side. The planet is also a terrestrial world. It is not a gas giant and is likely to be rocky. It is also close to the habitable zone. While it is not in the habitable zone, it is very close to the boundary of the Goldilocks Zone. Because of its mass and size, it is likely to have an atmosphere. While we don't know if it has an atmosphere, if it does, the atmosphere could make the surface of the exoplanet warmer than expected. <br><br>**Classifying LHS 475 b**<br><br>LHS 475 b is not classified as a terrestrial planet but rather as a "terrestrial-sized" planet. While this might not seem like that big of a deal, it is. The term "terrestrial planet" classifies a planet as being a terrestrial planet if it has an atmosphere, a thick crust, a core and a system of moons. <br><br>Mercury, Mars, Earth and Venus are examples of terrestrial planets. <br><br>Saturn's moon Titan and Jupiter's moon Ganymede are examples of terrestrial-sized bodies but they are not terrestrial planets. These moons do not orbit stars, they orbit gas giants. Therefore they are not planets. <br><br>The recently discovered exoplanet, LHS 475 b, is classified as a terrestrial-sized planet. It is not classified as a terrestrial planet. Researchers know that LHS 475 b has a thick crust and a size and mass similar to Earth but they don't know if it has a molten core, moons or an atmosphere. It does not orbit a gas giant and does orbit a star. <br><br>The size and mass of LHS 475 b indicate that it is likely to be a terrestrial exoplanet with a thick crust, a molten core and an atmosphere. However, while it is possible, we don't know this for sure. <br><br>Classifying a planet as a terrestrial planet can be tricky. Researchers must know the thickness of the crust, whether the core is molten, whether the planet has an atmosphere and whether the planet has any moons. <br><br>That is why LHS 475 b is classified as terrestrial-sized and not terrestrial. <br><br>&#x200B;