NASA’s TESS reveals ‘lightest’ Exoplanet named GJ 367b.

Why in news?

• NASA’s TESS reveals ‘lightest’ Exoplanet ever with a year lasting around 8 hours
• Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet named GJ 367b that orbits its star in just 7.7 hours and has just half the mass of Earth.

About GJ 367b

• Adding to the list of strangest exoplanets ever found, astronomers have discovered a new one which is the lightest and possibly the hottest one ever.
• Dubbed GJ 367b, the exoplanet is located 31 light-years away from our sun and orbits a small red dwarf star in just 7.7 hours, which means that one year on this planet is shorter than a full day here on Earth.
• Besides, the rocky planet also has several mind-bending features as it is just 70% the size of Earth and is nearly half as massive which makes it the lightest planet ever discovered.