This newly-discovered exoplanet contains water vapor in its atmosphere

A new study has found that the recently discovered planet TOI-674 b contains water vapor in its atmosphere. The exoplanet is a bit bigger than Neptune in size and orbits a red-dwarf star about 150 light-years away.

The study, led by Jonathan Brande of the University of Kansas, has been submitted to an academic journal. The team included researchers from the NASA Ames Research Center and from IPAC and other research centers at Caltech.

"Many questions remain, such as how much water vapor its atmosphere holds. But TOI-674 b's atmosphere is far easier to observe than those of many exoplanets, making it a prime target for deeper investigation," NASA said.

TOI-674 b takes 2 days to complete one orbit of its star. The Neptune-sized gas giant planet was discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), then its light spectrum was measured by Hubble Space Telescope.

NASA's newest and most powerful Webb telescope will be able to examine planet TOI-674 b's atmosphere in far more detail. According to NASA, only three other Neptune-sized exoplanets have had aspects of their atmospheres revealed so far.