Scientists Reveal a Frozen Bizarro Earth Only 150 Light-Years Away : ScienceAlert

Astronomers Discover “Ice Cold Earth” Just 150 Light-Years Away—And It Might Be Habitable

In a groundbreaking discovery that’s sending shockwaves through the astronomy community, scientists have identified what they’re calling an “ice cold Earth”—a potentially habitable rocky world strikingly similar to our own, located just 150 light-years from Earth.

The newly discovered exoplanet candidate, designated HD-137010 b, represents one of the most Earth-like worlds ever detected orbiting a Sun-like star. This tantalizing find was detailed in a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, marking a significant milestone in our search for potentially habitable worlds beyond our solar system.

A World of Possibilities

HD-137010 b appears to be slightly larger than Earth, with a radius approximately 1.2 times that of our planet and a mass that suggests it’s likely rocky rather than gaseous. What makes this discovery particularly exciting is the planet’s orbital characteristics—it takes roughly 355 days to complete one revolution around its host star, remarkably similar to Earth’s 365-day year.

This orbital period places HD-137010 b in a fascinating position relative to its star. Researchers estimate there’s a 51 percent chance that the planet sits just inside its star’s habitable zone—that crucial region where conditions might allow liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.

The Star That Makes It All Possible

HD-137010 b orbits a K dwarf star called HD-137010, which is about 70 percent the size and mass of our Sun. These cooler, dimmer stars are particularly interesting to astronomers because they have several advantages over G-type stars like our Sun. Most notably, K dwarfs have main-sequence lifetimes that exceed the current age of the universe itself, providing potentially billions of years of stable conditions for life to develop and evolve.

The star’s relatively cool temperature means that even though HD-137010 b orbits at a distance similar to Earth’s from the Sun, it receives less than a third of the energy we get from our star. This results in surface temperatures that could range from a bone-chilling -68 to -85 degrees Celsius (-90 to -121 degrees Fahrenheit).

How They Found It

The discovery was made using data from NASA’s now-retired Kepler space telescope, employing the transit method—one of the most successful techniques for detecting exoplanets. This method involves monitoring a star’s brightness for periodic dips that occur when a planet passes in front of it from our perspective.

What makes this discovery particularly challenging is that astronomers have only observed HD-137010 b transit once. Confirming an exoplanet typically requires multiple transits, and for worlds with Earth-like orbital periods, this means years of observation. As the researchers note, “this is the first planet candidate with Earth-like radius and orbital properties transiting a Sun-like star bright enough for substantial follow-up observations.”

The Habitable Zone Question

Despite the frigid temperatures, researchers suggest that HD-137010 b might still be capable of supporting liquid water on its surface. The key would be the presence of a moderately CO₂-rich atmosphere. As the study authors explain, “it appears eminently plausible that a moderately CO₂-rich atmosphere would be conducive to liquid surface water.”

However, there’s a catch. If HD-137010 b has a CO₂ abundance similar to Earth’s, it could be trapped in a “snowball” climate state—a fully glaciated planet so reflective that it bounces back most of the incoming starlight, potentially driving surface temperatures down to around -100 degrees Celsius.

Could Life Exist There?

While an ice-covered world might seem inhospitable, Earth itself has experienced multiple “snowball Earth” phases throughout its 4.5-billion-year history, and life not only survived but thrived. The presence of liquid water beneath ice sheets, geothermal activity, and the potential for complex chemical reactions all suggest that life could theoretically exist in such environments.

The researchers also note that HD-137010 b might not be alone. Other known exoplanetary systems suggest that additional planets could exist either inside or outside its orbit, potentially creating a “solar system-like architecture” with multiple planets extending throughout the habitable zone.

The Road Ahead

Confirming HD-137010 b’s planetary status and characterizing its atmosphere will require next-generation observatories. While current facilities are at the observational limit for such discoveries, upcoming missions like the European Space Agency’s PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission should be capable of providing the detailed observations needed.

As the researchers conclude, “This is the first planet candidate with Earth-like radius and orbital properties transiting a Sun-like star bright enough for substantial follow-up observations.” The discovery demonstrates “the detectability of temperate and cool Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting Sun-like stars through single transits.”

Tags: exoplanet discovery, habitable zone, Earth-like planet, HD-137010 b, Kepler telescope, K dwarf star, astrobiology, potential life, snowball Earth, space exploration, astronomical breakthrough, cosmic neighbor, interstellar discovery, planetary science, habitable world, alien life possibility

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