| Discovery | |
|---|---|
| Discovered by | Dransfield et al. |
| Discovery site | TESS |
| Discovery date | May 10, 2023 |
| transit | |
| Orbital characteristics | |
| 0.083±0.0027 AU | |
| Inclination | 89.856°+0.018° −0.017° |
| Star | TOI-715 |
| Physical characteristics | |
| 1.55±0.064 R🜨 | |
| Temperature | 234±12 K (−39±12 °C) |
TOI-715 b is a super-Earth exoplanet in the habitable zone of its parent M-type star, TOI-715.[1][2][3] The planet is 1.55 times larger than Earth, and is located at 0.083 astronomical units (12,400,000 km) from its star.[4] The planet orbits in the habitable zone of its star and has an equilibrium temperature of 234 K (−39 °C).[4] It was discovered by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) in 2023;[5] according to the authors of the discovery paper, it is the first TESS discovery in the conservative habitable zone.[4]
NASA stated that the James Webb Space Telescope may be used in the future to look for evidence of water or planetary atmosphere.[6] Additionally, there may be a second exoplanet in the same system, TIC 271971130.02, that, if confirmed, would be the smallest known habitable-zone exoplanet.[6]
[W]hile several 'habitable zone' planets discovered by TESS have been confirmed (e.g. Gilbert et al. 2020; Vach et al. 2022), none yet have fallen within the conservative habitable zone as described by Kopparapu et al. (2013)—until now.