Astronomers Found a New, Potentially Habitable Planet
Astronomers have discovered a new planet that could be potentially habitable. The object HD 137010 b is located 146 light-years from Earth, and it is only 6% larger than our planet, writes The Guardian, citing Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Artist's impression of Earth-sized planet HD 137010 b. Photo: NASA/JPL-Caltech/K. Miller (Caltech/IPAC)
The planet was identified by an international team of scientists from Australia, the UK, the USA, and Denmark, thanks to data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, collected in 2017. The star around which HD 137010 b orbits is colder and dimmer than the Sun, so the temperature on the planet's surface could be Martian-like — down to -70°C.
The planet's orbit is about 355 days, and researchers believe there is approximately a 50% chance that HD 137010 b is located in the habitable zone. Its brightness and proximity make the planet accessible for observation by current and future telescopes.
But even despite its proximity on a cosmic scale, it would take humanity tens or even hundreds of thousands of years to reach this planet.
Astrophysicists also warn that additional data is needed for the official classification of this celestial body as a planet, as only one transit has been recorded so far.