Astronomers have discovered a planet candidate similar to Earth, which completes its orbit in 355 days and has a 50 percent chance of being in the “habitable zone” of its star.
Elchi.az reports that the new celestial body discovered by astronomers from Australia, Great Britain, the USA and Denmark has attracted attention because some of its characteristics are similar to the Earth.
The research group discovered a planet called “HD 137010 b” based on data collected by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Kepler Space Telescope during the K2 mission in 2017.
Astronomers determined that this object revolves around a star similar to the Sun and is only 6 percent larger than the Earth, and that the candidate planet completes its orbit in 355 days. The researchers noted that the candidate planet has a 50 percent chance of being in the “habitable zone” of the star it revolves around, and that the candidate planet, located 146 light-years away, is close enough for detailed observation with a telescope.
Surface temperature may drop to minus 70 degrees Celsius
On the other hand, the researchers determined that the star is colder and darker than the Sun, and as a result, the surface temperature of HD 137010 b is similar to the surface temperature of Mars and may drop to minus 70 degrees Celsius.
It is reported that more information is needed to classify this discovered celestial body as an exoplanet.
The details of the study were published in the journal “Astrophysical Journal Letters”.
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