NASA Finds Earth-Sized Planet Just 150 Light-Years Away

Scientists just found what could be Earth's distant twin, and it's practically in our cosmic backyard.

The planet, named HD 137010 b, orbits a star only 150 light-years away. That makes it four times closer than the next best Earth-like candidate we've discovered around a similar star.

Researchers at NASA spotted the world while reviewing data from the Kepler space telescope. The planet is nearly Earth's size and completes its orbit in 355 days, almost matching our own year-long journey around the Sun.

Chelsea Huang, a researcher at the University of Southern Queensland, says the discovery stands out because of how close and bright the host star is. That brightness gave scientists an unusually clear view of the planet as it passed in front of its star in 2017.

The catch? HD 137010 b probably isn't a balmy paradise. Its star is an orange dwarf, slightly smaller and cooler than our yellow Sun, meaning the planet receives less than a third of Earth's light and heat.

Scientists estimate surface temperatures could dip below minus 90 degrees Fahrenheit, colder even than Mars. But there's a twist that keeps hope alive.

Why This Inspires

If HD 137010 b has an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide, it could trap enough warmth to support liquid water and possibly life. Mars itself may have been warm and wet billions of years ago with a similar CO2-rich blanket before losing most of its atmosphere.

The discovery reminds us that worlds capable of supporting life might look very different from our own. Orange dwarf stars burn steadily for trillions of years, far longer than our Sun, giving life plenty of time to take hold if conditions align.

Scientists need more observations to confirm what they're seeing. The standard requires three transits across the star, and so far they've only captured one. But astrophysicist Sara Webb called the finding "exciting," and Huang described it as a "textbook example" of a planetary detection.

Every new Earth-sized world we find teaches us something about our place in the universe and brings us closer to answering whether we're alone.