A recent preprint from a global team of astronomers reports the discovery of a Venus-sized planet circling a nearby red dwarf star roughly 40 light-years away. The object, named LHS 475 b, emerges from a major space telescope program and is shared in the arXiv repository for early dissemination. This addition expands the growing catalog of exoplanets as scientists map the variety of planetary systems in our galactic neighborhood.
LHS 475 b was detected with NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TESS uses the transit method, watching for tiny dips in a star’s brightness when a planet passes in front of its host. This dimming, called a transit event, creates a light curve whose shape and depth reveal the planet’s size relative to the star and offer clues about its orbital period. The transit technique has become a fundamental tool in exoplanet discovery, enabling researchers to survey vast swaths of the sky and identify thousands of planet candidates around stars of many ages and types. The arXiv preprint notes that LHS 475 b’s signal matches a planet orbiting its red-dwarf host, reinforcing the reliability of transit-based detections when supported by stellar parameters and careful statistical analysis.
So far, the exoplanet field has identified roughly 6,400 planetary candidates, with about 3,032 confirmed through follow-up observations and rigorous validation. The growing count reflects advances in instrument sensitivity, data processing, and collaborative verification across observatories and missions. Each confirmed planet adds to a broader understanding of planetary formation, orbital dynamics, and the possible range of worlds in the galaxy. The LHS 475 system specifically serves as a data point for examining how a Venus-sized world behaves in the gravity well of a relatively cool, dim star, and what that implies for atmospheric retention, surface conditions, and potential geologic activity in such systems.
Measured at roughly 0.955 Earth radii, LHS 475 b completes an orbit in about 48.7 hours and orbits at a distance near 0.02 astronomical units from its host star—about 15 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun. This tight orbit subjects the planet to strong stellar irradiation and likely tidal effects that can shape its climate, interior structure, and possible volcanism. While precise mass measurements are not yet available, current estimates point to a rocky composition with a density pattern similar to Earth’s, adapted to the energy input and gravity of a small, cool star. These assessments guide future observation plans, including radial velocity measurements and transmission spectroscopy when feasible, to infer composition, atmospheric properties, and potential surface conditions even across interstellar distances.
In a broader sense, the discovery of LHS 475 b adds to the ongoing story of exoplanet exploration around red dwarfs, a star class that dominates in our galaxy. These stars host extended habitable zones thanks to their lower temperatures and slower fuel consumption, though planets in these zones face challenges such as stellar flares and long-term climate stability. Researchers emphasize that every new discovery helps refine models of planet formation around low-mass stars and informs target selection for future missions aiming to study atmospheres and potential biosignatures. The record of discoveries, including LHS 475 b, highlights the collaborative nature of modern astronomy, bringing together space-based observatories, ground facilities, and theoretical work to build a richer picture of planetary diversity in the Milky Way. (Attribution: data and findings summarized from the arXiv preprint and NASA mission datasets.)