A team of astronomers from the University of Montreal has discovered a new potentially habitable exoplanet orbiting the red dwarf star L 98-59, 35 light-years from Earth. This discovery means there are now five confirmed planets in this solar system’s “temperate” or “habitable” zone, the region in a solar system where liquid water could exist on planets’ surfaces.
The newly discovered planet, called “L 98-59 f,” managed to evade previous observations because it doesn’t pass between Earth and its star when orbiting, known as “transiting.” Planets that transit their host stars are easier to spot, because the mini-eclipses they create when passing across the face of their star can be