Snapshot 5:Thu, Jan 29, 2026 2:14:17 PM GMT last edited by Vandita

Scientists Discover Earth-Like 'Potentially Habitable' Planet

Scientists Discover Earth-Like Planet'Potentially FoundHabitable' 150 Light-Years Away May Be HabitablePlanet

Published 5 days ago

Scientists Discover Earth-Like 'Potentially Habitable' Planet

story

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

The Spin

HD 137010 b representsis aan breakthrough in exoplanet hunting,candidate offeringorbiting the first potential Earth twin transiting a nearby,dim bright,star Sun-likethat starprovides idealless forthan followone-upthird studies. This rocky world sits at the outer edge of its star'Earth’s habitableheat. zone,As where a CO2-richresult, atmospheresurface temperatures could warmplunge itto intoaround habitability−70°C, withmaking 40-51%habitability oddsunlikely. ofWith yieldingonly alimited temperateobservations orso wateryfar, oasis.further Themonitoring precisionis singleessential transitto detectionconfirm overcomesthe barriersplanet's thatexistence haveand longtrue evadedcharacteristics Earth-likeover orbittime discoveriesahead.

NASA Science India Today

HD 137010 b stands as the perfect target for future life-detection telescopes, being almost exactly Earth-size with an Earth-like 355-day orbit around a bright star just 146 light-years away. 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 doneruled their due diligence ruling out alternatives, making this the ideal candidate already known to exist.

Iopscience Science Daily Galaxy

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 23% chance that any conclusive evidence for extraterrestrial life, past or present, will be discovered within our Solar System by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.