NewsBytes Explainer: NASA finds super-Earths; what are they
NASA has spotted several "super-Earth" planets in our galaxy—think bigger than Earth, smaller than Neptune, and with all kinds of surfaces, from rocky to water-rich.
Some, like TOI-715 b and Kepler-62 e, orbit in their stars' habitable zones where liquid water might exist.
There's also Kepler-452 b circling a Sun-like star; it could be rocky too, but high temperatures make its habitability uncertain.
Why super-Earths matter
Finding so many super-Earths is shaking up what scientists thought about how planets form—and why our own solar system doesn't have one.
These worlds might hold clues about planet evolution and life beyond Earth.
Upcoming missions like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and PLATO will dive deeper into their atmospheres to figure out if they're rocky, watery, or gassy—helping us get closer to answering the big question: are we alone?