Space & Astronomy

Planet 'remarkably similar to Earth' found 146 light-years away

By T.K. Randall
January 31, 2026 ·  4 comments

Image: Artist's Concept of Exoplanet Candidate HD 137010 b
Credit: JPL-Caltech/Keith Miller / (PD) NASA The discovery of extraterrestrial life would be one of the most groundbreaking events in human history, and while we have yet to make such a find, it seems only a matter time now before it happens.

One of the most promising avenues in this regard is the discovery of extrasolar planets - worlds that exist far beyond our solar system, orbiting distant stars.

For decades, astronomers have been searching for planets that could support life - habitable worlds orbiting within the habitable zones of their stars, where temperatures are high enough to allow liquid water, one of the most important factors for life, to exist on the surface.

The latest such discovery, which comes courtesy of NASA's Kepler Space Telescope, is HD 137010 b - an extrasolar world situated 146 light-years away.Described as being "remarkably similar to Earth", this distant world has a chance, albeit a small one, of having a temperate climate and a vast planet-spanning ocean of liquid water.

On the other hand, it could also be freezing - making the odds of finding life there much lower.

Follow-up observations of HD 137010 b are also likely to prove tricky.

"The planet's orbital distance, so similar to Earth's, means such transits happen far less often than for planets in tighter orbits around their stars - it's a big reason why exoplanets with Earth-like orbits are so hard to detect in the first place," NASA wrote.

"With luck, confirmation could come from further observation by the successor to Kepler/K2, NASA's TESS (the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), the still-functioning workhorse for planetary detection, or from the European Space Agency's CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite)."

"Otherwise, gathering further data on planet HD 137010 b might have to wait for the next generation of space telescopes."

Source: Mail Online | Comments (4)

Tags: Extrasolar, Planet, Alien