Photo: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
A 17-year-old intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center discovered a new exoplanet orbiting two stars, NASA announced this week.
Why it matters: This planet, dubbed "TOI 1338 b" is located in a system 1,300 light-years away from Earth, and it is the first world orbiting two stars that's been seen by NASA's recently launched Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Background: TESS launched in April 2018 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX is Elon Musk's private space company, which holds billions of dollars in contracts with NASA as well as other companies.
- NASA’s K2 and Kepler missions previously discovered 12 planets orbiting two stars in 10 systems, all of which were similar to TOI 1338 b.
Go deeper: Watch NASA's video detailing TOI 1338 b discovery