Overview
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters published the finding on Jan. 27 by an international team led by Alexander Venner.
- HD 137010 b is about 6% larger than Earth and lies roughly 146–150 light-years away, orbiting a cooler, dimmer Sun-like star.
- Modeling indicates an orbital period near one year with an observed transit lasting about 10 hours.
- The planet receives less than one-third of Earth’s sunlight, implying possible surface temperatures near −68°C unless a dense greenhouse atmosphere is present.
- The study estimates a 40% chance the world sits in the conservative habitable zone and 51% in the optimistic zone, with confirmation efforts likely relying on TESS or ESA’s CHEOPS after its initial flagging by Planet Hunters.