A new habitable planet has been discovered

Scientists say that the Earth-sized planet HD 137010 b has around a 50% chance of being located within the habitable zone of its star. The planet has an orbital period of approximately 355 days, similar to that of Earth.

According to The Guardian, an international team of scientists from Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Denmark identified the planet using data collected during NASA’s Kepler space telescope’s extended K2 mission in 2017. HD 137010 b orbits a Sun-like star and is about 6% larger than Earth.

Researchers estimate that the planet has roughly a 50% probability of lying within its star’s habitable zone. The planet was detected through a very faint dimming of light observed as it passed in front of its host star, a method known as the transit technique.

However, the star is cooler and dimmer than the Sun, meaning the planet’s surface temperature could be similar to that of Mars and may drop below –70°C. The findings were published this week in the journal Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Astronomers have announced the discovery of a potentially habitable new planet about 146 light-years away that is Earth-sized and has conditions similar to Mars.

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