Astronomers identify new Earth-sized planet near habitable zone 146 light-year away

Astronomers identify new Earth-sized planet near habitable zone 146 light-year away
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Astronomers have identified a new Earth-sized planet orbiting a sun-like star about 146 light-years from Earth, raising fresh interest in nearby worlds that could support life, Anadolu Agency reported.

The candidate, known as HD 137010 b, was detected using data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope’s K2 mission collected in 2017 and analyzed by an international team led by University of Southern Queensland (USQ) researcher Alexander Venner.

Their findings were published on Tuesday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The planet is estimated to be about 6% larger than Earth and follows a roughly 355-day orbit, according to the study.

Researchers said it has “about a 50% chance of residing in the habitable zone” of its star, though its surface temperature may be closer to Mars and potentially below –94°F (–70°C).