HD 137010b is estimated to be solely 6% bigger than Earth, with a floor temperature extra just like Mars — probably under minus 70 levels Celsius. Picture credit score: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Keith Miller, Caltech & IPAC.
HD 137010 is a K3.5V dwarf star positioned about 146 light-years away within the constellation of Libra.
Its age is estimated to lie between about 4.8 and 10 billion years, and its low degree of magnetic exercise is per an outdated, comparatively quiet star.
Also referred to as BD-19 4097, HIC 75398, 2MASS J15242123-1944215 or TYC 6179-1111-1, the star has a visible magnitude of 10.1, making it one of many brightest stars recognized to host an Earth-sized planet with temperate orbital properties.
Designated HD 137010b, the newly-discovered planet was detected throughout K2 Marketing campaign 15, when NASA’s Kepler area telescope noticed the father or mother star for almost three months in 2017.
“Earlier discoveries of Earth-sized planets in liveable zones are largely round so-called pink dwarfs, that are a lot smaller and dimmer than our Solar,” mentioned College of Southern Queensland astronomer Alexander Venner, first creator of the examine.
“Scientists have issues that these planets may lose their total atmospheres resulting from high-energy radiation from their host stars, leaving them uninhabitable to recognized life.”
“In distinction, the host star of HD 137010b has properties a lot nearer to our Solar, which makes it extra seemingly that the planet might maintain an environment primarily based on present theoretical fashions.”
Within the examine, Dr. Venner and colleagues examined K2 information, close by stellar mild curves, archival imaging, radial velocity measurements, and astrometric information to evaluate the character of the sign, which lasted about 10 hours.
The checks strongly point out that the transit occurred on the goal star and is astrophysical in origin, somewhat than being brought on by background contamination, a close-by eclipsing binary, or a photo voltaic system object.
From the transit depth, the astronomers derived a planetary radius of about 1.06 instances that of Earth.
Primarily based on the transit length and stellar properties, they estimate an orbital interval of roughly 355 days.
At this distance from the host star, HD 137010b is estimated to obtain roughly 29% of the stellar flux acquired by Earth from the Solar, putting it close to the outer fringe of the star’s liveable zone.
“If HD 137010b has an environment like that of Earth or Mars, it’s more likely to be colder than Antarctica,” Dr. Venner mentioned.
“However a thicker environment might heat the planet sufficient to permit liquid water, which is perhaps an excellent atmosphere for all times.”
“Whereas present generations of astronomical devices can’t totally characterize this newly-discovered planet, it might change into a first-rate goal for future radial velocity devices aiming to detect Earth analogues.”
“Future area missions designed to instantly picture Earth-like planets, just like the NASA Liveable Worlds Observatory, can also be able to capturing pictures of HD 137010b.”
The invention is reported in a paper within the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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Alexander Venner et al. 2026. A Cool Earth-sized Planet Candidate Transiting a Tenth Magnitude Okay-dwarf from K2. ApJL 997, L38; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf06f
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