Hayden Planetarium meteorologist and guest lecturer Joe Rao details some impressive skywatching attractions this month. CONCLUSION Researchers have identified a possible planet within the habitable zone of a star, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region. The habitable zone is a term astronomers use to describe the region around a star where conditions could theoretically support liquid water. NASA has confirmed more than 6,300 exoplanets so far, planets beyond our solar system. Researchers have identified a possible planet within the habitable zone of a star about 2,000 degrees Celsius hotter than our sun, which would be the hottest star to host a planet in that region, if confirmed. In theory, these conditions could support liquid water. A new study published in The Astrophysical Journal identified a candidate planet designated HD 156295 b, which researchers estimate is 5.2 to 7.4 times more massive than Jupiter. Meanwhile, the star itself, HD 156295, is an A-type star, about twice the radius of the sun and about nine times as bright. The Milky Way is shown in Grossmugl, Austria, on August 13, 2026. ((Photo by MAX SLOVENCIK / APA / AFP via Getty Images) / Austria OUT / Getty Images) According to the article, this system is located approximately 140 million light years away, right in our cosmic neck of the woods. If the Milky Way were the size of Earth, this distance would be comparable to the distance between New York City and Newark, New Jersey. The study analyzed observations from NASA’s TESS telescope, which was launched on April 18, 2018 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. NASA turns to AI to discover new clues hidden on the moon’s surface HD 156295 is a species of star whose brightness changes so regularly that scientists can find exoplanets and other companions in orbit by measuring small changes in the timing of those changes. The Milky Way is seen from Lajitas, Texas, on August 15, 2026. ((Photo by RONALDO SCHEMIDT/AFP via Getty Images)/Getty Images)The researchers said that continued observations from the TESS telescope, which is specifically tasked with finding exoplanets, and future more powerful telescopes can be used to confirm whether, in fact, HD 156295 b is actually a planet. JAMES WEBB Y HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPES DISCOVER LITTLE NEW WORLDS DEEP IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM NASA has so far confirmed more than 6,300 exoplanets, planets beyond our solar system.
