Hubble has identified the closest planet similar to Earth
LTT 1445Ac, 22 light-years away, is Earth’s closest match. Discovered by TESS in 2022, confirmed by Hubble with unique features.
Just 22 light-years away from us, the planet known as LTT 1445Ac has emerged as the closest match to Earth’s characteristics ever identified. Initially discovered in 2022 by the exoplanet-hunting telescope TESS, its features have now been precisely outlined through recent observations by the Hubble Space Telescope.
The research team, led by Emily Pass from the Harvard & Smithsonian Institute in the United States, conducted these studies, published in The Astronomical Journal. Initial findings, arriving just over a year ago from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, suggested the presence of a planet orbiting a red dwarf star named LTT 1445A, part of a triple-star system known as LTT 1445. Now, thanks to Hubble’s observations, the existence of a planet with dimensions very similar to Earth has been confirmed, albeit in a close orbital position to its star, completing an orbit in just 3.12 days with an estimated surface temperature of 260 degrees.
At a mere 22 light-years from us, a planet akin to Earth has surfaced as the closest discovery to date. It’s noteworthy that the nearest star, Proxima Centauri, is located 4.3 light-years away. Further observations have indicated the potential presence of an atmosphere, piquing researchers’ interest. Now, with the prospect of using the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists hope to closely examine this planet, scrutinizing its details and potentially paving the way for the first investigation into its composition.
