Ice-Cold Earth-Sized Exoplanet in Habitable Zone Sparks Debate
Astronomers identify HD-137010 b, an Earth-sized exoplanet about 1.2 times Earth’s mass in a 355-day orbit around a cool K-dwarf star (HD-137010). It may lie just inside its star’s habitable zone and receives less than a third of the energy Earth gets, suggesting surface temperatures around -68 to -85 °C. The planet has only a single observed transit from Kepler, so confirmation requires multiple transits and follow-up with future observatories (e.g., PLATO). A moderately CO2-rich atmosphere could allow liquid water, though a snowball climate is possible. The system could host additional planets, hinting at a solar-system-like architecture, and this discovery shows temperate, Earth-sized worlds around Sun-like stars can be detected via single transits; but further observations are needed to confirm HD-137010 b’s status.
