LHS 3844 b is located about 15 light-years from Earth in the constellation Hercules. It orbits a red dwarf star that is about one-third the size of our Sun. The exoplanet was first discovered by TESS in 2019, but its mass had not been previously determined.
To measure the mass of LHS 3844 b, astronomers used the technique of radial velocity. This technique involves measuring the slight wobble that a star experiences as it is tugged by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. The amount of wobble depends on the mass of the planet, so by measuring the wobble, astronomers can determine the planet's mass.
The astronomers found that LHS 3844 b has a mass of about 3.1 times the mass of Earth. This makes it the smallest rocky exoplanet yet discovered that orbits a star like our Sun. The previous record holder was Kepler-10b, which has a mass of about 4.6 times the mass of Earth.
LHS 3844 b is also one of the most Earth-like exoplanets yet discovered. It has a rocky composition and a surface temperature that is thought to be between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius. This means that it could potentially be habitable for liquid water, which is essential for life as we know it.
The discovery of LHS 3844 b is an important step in the search for habitable planets beyond our solar system. It shows that small, rocky planets are common in our galaxy and that some of them may be able to support liquid water. This discovery also provides a promising target for future space missions that will search for signs of life on other planets.
