NASAS Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered its first Earth-size planet.
The planet, named HD 21749c, is around 89% of Earths diameter, and is 53 light-years away. Its surface is likely rocky and hot, with temperatures that could reach up to 800 degrees Fahrenheit.
It likely takes the Earth-size planet orbits the K-star HD 21749, which is around 70% of the size of the sun. It circles very close to its star, and likely takes a little under eight days to orbit.
This is the 10th planet discovered by TESS.
Launched April 18, 2018, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, TESS will survey 200,000 of the brightest stars closest to the sun in search of planets over a two-year period, according to NASA.
The mission divides the area of the sky into 26 sectors, which are 24 degrees by 96 degrees across. Of the thousands of planet candidates, around 300 are expected to be Earth-sized and super-Earth sized exoplanets, according to NASA.
The report on the discoveries called the system a prime target for comparative studies on planet and system makeup.
Follow-up studies could provide critical information about the planets properties, including potentially the first mass measurement of an Earth-size planet found by TESS, a statement said.
