The James Webb Telescope has found its first exoplanet, a planet orbiting a star, NASA announced Wednesday.
According to the US space agency, the designated LHS 475 b is nearly the same size as Earth, with about 99 percent of our planet’s diameter.
In addition to its size, NASA’s statement also highlights that the exoplanet is rocky and completes an orbit in two Earth days.
LHS 475 b orbits a red dwarf star and is substantially hotter than Earth, which could imply that it has a Venus-like atmosphere.
“This opens up the possibility of studying planets with similar atmospheres with Webb,” says Mark Clampin, an astrophysicist at the space agency.
