Astronomers managed to make an amazing discovery with the help of the 188-centimeter telescope of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (Okayama Astrophysical Observatory, OAO) located in Hawaii. At a distance of 150 light years from our planet, it was possible to discover a potentially habitable planet, which previously could only be seen by space observatories.
Several years ago, a planet called K2-3d was able to capture a NASA space telescope called Kepler as part of the K2 mission. Astronomers were lucky to see such a planet with the help of a 188-centimeter ground-based telescope for the first time.
Based on these observations, scientists predicted that the planet would transit in front of its star in 2018. By this time, the James Webb Space Telescope is slated to be able to closely monitor and analyze the planet's atmosphere for potential signs of life or habitability.
According to the OAO, K2-3d is about 1.5 times the size of Earth and orbits a star half the size of the Sun every 45 days. The exoplanet is closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun (one-fifth of the distance from the Earth to the Sun), but since the Star is less hot, there may be temperatures on its surface at which liquid water is possible. All these data indicate that the planet is in the so-called 'habitable zone' and life is possible on it.
Sources: Space
