Australian Team Finds Earth-Sized Planet 150 Light-Years Away

Astronomers from the University of Southern Queensland just discovered something we've been searching for since the first exoplanet was found 30 years ago: a planet almost exactly Earth's size that might support life.

Planet HD 137010 b sits 150 light-years away from Earth and is only 6% larger than our home planet. It orbits a Sun-like star at a distance similar to Mars, placing it right at the edge of what scientists call the "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on its surface.

Dr. Chelsea Huang, one of the researchers behind the discovery, calls it a major step forward in the hunt for Earth's twin. The planet candidate has a 50% chance of being habitable, depending on its atmospheric conditions.

The discovery started with citizen science. Lead researcher Dr. Alex Venner first spotted the planet as a high school student in Wales, volunteering with Planet Hunters, an online group of astronomy enthusiasts analyzing data from NASA's Kepler space mission. He looked for tiny dips in star brightness that signal a planet passing in front of its star.

Years later, while completing his PhD in Toowoomba, Venner went back through those old observations. He recognized one that looked like it could be an Earth-sized planet and spent years doing the calculations to prove it. His research was published this week in the Astrophysical Journal Letters and has been noted by NASA.

The planet exists in what researchers describe as "where Earth meets Mars," combining Earth's size with Mars-like distance from its star. If confirmed with at least one more observation, it would become the only verified rocky planet in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.

Why This Inspires

This discovery shows how far we've come in understanding our place in the universe. What started with a curious high school student analyzing images online has grown into a groundbreaking find that pushes the boundaries of planetary science.

NASA scientist Dr. Jessie Christiansen calls it "incredibly tantalizing" and potentially unique among known exoplanets. While scientists need more data to confirm the planet's habitability (the other scenario is a frozen snowball climate below minus 70 degrees Celsius), the discovery opens new possibilities for understanding worlds beyond our solar system.

Dr. Jonti Horner from UniSQ calls it "a tantalizing sneak peek of what there is still to discover." After three decades of searching, we're finally finding planets that look like home.