TESS Discovers 16 Super-Earths in NASA's Exoplanet Hunt

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has potentially discovered eight new exoplanets, all of which are classified as "super-Earths." TESS uses a statistical method to analyze its data and identify anomalies that could indicate the presence of exoplanets. The Validation of Transiting Exoplanets using Statistical Tools (VaTEST) project helped confirm that these transiting events were caused by orbiting exoplanets. Six of the newly discovered exoplanets fall into the "keystone planets" category, which could provide valuable insights into the overall exoplanet population. While these super-Earths are unlikely to be habitable due to their close proximity to their host stars, further study of them could help scientists understand the radius valley concept and the potential for life on other exoplanets.