WEB DESK: Scientists have identified a potential Earth-like planet located just 146 light-years from Earth, raising hopes for habitable worlds beyond our solar system. The planet, designated HD 137010 b, is roughly 6% larger than Earth and orbits a star similar to our Sun.
This discovery was made by an international research team analyzing data collected in 2017 from NASA’s Kepler space telescope. The planet completes an orbit around its star in approximately 355 days, closely mirroring Earth’s orbital period.“What makes this Earth-sized planet particularly intriguing is its proximity only about 150 light-years away,” stated Dr. Chelsea Huang from the University of Southern Queensland, a co-author of the study. She added that the next closest candidate is located four times farther away.
The origins of this discovery are quite remarkable. Dr. Alexander Venner, the lead author, initially detected the faint signal as a high school student participating in a citizen science project. “It was an incredible experience to revisit this data and uncover such an important find,” Venner remarked.
Although the planet resides within the habitable zone, its host star is cooler than our Sun, which may result in surface temperatures similar to Marspotentially dropping below -70°C.
Astrophysicist Dr. Sara Webb described the find as “very promising,” but emphasized that further observations are necessary for confirmation. Since only one transit event has been observed, the planet currently remains a “candidate.” Webb also noted that it could be a “super snowball,” a large icy world with frozen water.
Webb pointed out that even with its relative closeness, reaching this planet with current technology would take tens of thousands of years. The research team shared their findings in the latest edition of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
