Kevin CostnerThe 1995 movie Waterworld, in which he played the leading role, came true. A group of researchers led by Charles Cadieux, a doctoral student at the University of Montreal in Canada, has discovered a planet that is more massive than Earth and far enough from its star to be conducive to life.
According to the data obtained by the researchers from the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) TESS space telescope, the planet is covered with a thick layer of water, just like the moons of Jupiter and Saturn, and is 100 light-years from Earth.
Named ‘TOI-1452 b’, the planet orbits one of two smaller stars in a binary system in the constellation Draco.
The planet, which was discovered thanks to a signal from TESS slightly dimming its brightness every 11 days, is about 70 percent larger than Earth.
One of a kind
Cadieux, who discovered the planet, “TOI-1452 b is one of the best candidates for an ocean planet we’ve ever found. Its radius and mass point to a much lower density than would be expected from a planet like Earth that is mainly composed of metal and rock.” Director of the Mont-Mégantic Observatory (OMM) at the University of Montreal. René Doyon if “I am extremely proud of this discovery because it demonstrates the high capabilities of our researchers and tools. “We were able to detect this one-of-a-kind exoplanet, thanks to an innovative analytical method provided by a special instrument called SPIRou, designed in our labs by OMM and our research team.” said.