Science & technology

Scientists Discover Earth-Like 'Potentially Habitable' Planet

Is HD 137010 b a habitable Earth twin or just another rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone?

Published JAN 29

Scientists Discover Earth-Like 'Potentially Habitable' Planet

Story

Above: An artist's rendering of a planet in space. Image credit: Unsplash

The Facts

Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable planet candidate named HD 137010 b, located approximately 146 to 150 light-years from Earth. The planet is estimated to be about 6% larger than Earth and completes an orbit around its sun-like star in roughly 355 days.
NDTV
guardian
An international research team led by Dr. Alexander Venner of the University of Southern Queensland identified HD 137010 b using data from NASA's Kepler space telescope's extended K2 mission, captured in 2017. The faint signal was initially flagged by participants in a citizen science project.
9News Australia
Yeni Safak
Researchers estimate that HD 137010 b has approximately a 40% to 51% chance of residing within the habitable zone of its host star, where liquid water could potentially exist. The planet's surface temperature is estimated to be below -70°C (-94°F), similar to Mars.
News.com.au
PHYS
The star HD 137010 b orbits is cooler and dimmer than the sun, meaning the planet receives about 70% less light than Earth does. Despite the likely frigid conditions, its relative proximity makes it a prime target for next-generation observatories.
News.com.au
guardian
HD 137010 b is considered a planet candidate because it requires at least one additional observation to be confirmed as a planet. The discovery is based on a single transit detection, while the gold standard in planetary science typically requires three detections.
NDTV
ABC Australia
If confirmed, HD 137010 b would be the only known rocky world in the habitable zone of a sun-like star. Future missions, such as NASA's planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, may be able to directly image this distant world.
9News Australia
Yeni Safak

Sources Split

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The Spin

Narrative A

HD 137010 b is an exoplanet candidate orbiting a dim star that provides less than one-third of Earth’s heat. As a result, surface temperatures could plunge to around −70°C, making habitability unlikely. With only limited observations so far, further monitoring is essential to confirm the planet's existence and true characteristics over time ahead.

NASA Science

India Today

Narrative B

HD 137010 b stands as the perfect target for future life-detection telescopes. Unlike rocky planets around tempestuous M-dwarf stars that blast away atmospheres, this world orbits a calmer Sun-like star, far more likely to sustain an atmosphere based on current models. Astronomers have ruled out alternatives, making this the ideal candidate already known to exist.

Iopscience

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