Home / Science / Nasa Telescope Spots Potential Earth Twin, But It's Freezing!
Nasa Telescope Spots Potential Earth Twin, But It's Freezing!
9 Feb
Summary
- Earth-sized planet candidate HD 137010 b discovered by Nasa telescope.
- Planet may be in habitable zone, but surface temperatures are extremely low.
- Confirmation requires detecting repeat transits due to its long orbital period.
Nasa's retired Kepler Space Telescope has detected signs of an exoplanet, tentatively named HD 137010 b, that closely resembles Earth in size. This rocky world orbits a Sun-like star approximately 146 light-years away and has an orbital period comparable to Earth's one-year cycle.
Although HD 137010 b orbits within its star's habitable zone, a region where liquid water could exist, its estimated surface temperature is a chilling -68 degrees Celsius. This is due to its host star being cooler and dimmer than our Sun, receiving less than a third of the heat Earth gets.
Scientists are calling HD 137010 b a candidate planet, as confirmation relies on detecting repeat transits. The challenge lies in its distant orbit, similar to Earth's, which necessitates a long waiting period for another transit to be observed and verified by astronomers. The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
