Scientists Discover Earth-Like 'Potentially Habitable' Planet
Is HD 137010 b a habitable Earth twin or just another rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone?
Above: An artist's rendering of a planet in space. Image credit: Unsplash
The Spin
Narrative A
HD 137010 b is an exoplanet candidate orbiting a dim star that provides less than one-third of Earth’s heat. As a result, surface temperatures could plunge to around −70°C, making habitability unlikely. With only limited observations so far, further monitoring is essential to confirm the planet's existence and true characteristics over time ahead.
Narrative B
HD 137010 b stands as the perfect target for future life-detection telescopes. 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 ruled out alternatives, making this the ideal candidate already known to exist.