TESS Discovers Eight New Super-Earths
NASA's TESS spacecraft has validated eight more Super-Earths, bringing the total number of confirmed exoplanets to nearly 400. The Validation of Transiting Exoplanets using Statistical Tools (VaTEST) project combines statistical methods and machine learning to identify these planets from TESS's data. Six of the newly validated planets fall within the "keystone planets" category, which helps explain the radius gap in exoplanet populations. Two of the planets are suitable for further atmospheric study using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), with simulations showing potential signs of carbon dioxide, water, and methane. Real observations are needed to confirm these findings.