Technology & Science
Single-Transit Discovery of Earth-Sized Candidate Planet HD 137010 b 150 Light-Years Away
On 27 January 2026 researchers reported a one-off Kepler/K2 transit indicating HD 137010 b, a rocky world just 6 % larger than Earth with a ~355-day orbit near the cold edge of its star’s habitable zone.
Focusing Facts
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters (Vol. 997, No. 2, 27 Jan 2026) lists HD 137010 b’s radius at 1.06 R⊕ and an estimated orbital period of 355 ± 30 days around the V=10 K-dwarf HD 137010, 146 ly away.
- Evidence so far is a single 10-hour transit recorded during Kepler’s K2 Campaign 17 in 2017; standard confirmation requires three observed transits.
- Models show the planet receives roughly 0.32 ± 0.05 of Earth’s insolation, implying an equilibrium temperature near −68 °C unless a CO₂-rich atmosphere provides greenhouse warming.
Context
Astronomy has been here before: Urbain Le Verrier predicted Neptune in 1846 from a single gravitational clue, but only Johann Galle’s subsequent sighting settled the debate; likewise, HD 137010 b may remain a paper planet until a future telescope (perhaps NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory slated for the 2040s) catches a second wink. The episode highlights two long-term currents: (1) archival data continue to yield discoveries decades later, just as 1960s radio archives later revealed the first fast radio bursts, and (2) citizen-science platforms such as Planet Hunters are decentralising discovery, eroding the monopoly of large consortia. Whether this frozen Earth-analog proves real or illusory, its proximity and Sun-like host set a benchmark that will shape target lists for direct-imaging missions—part of humanity’s century-long march from the 1995 detection of 51 Pegasi b toward routine atmospheric spectroscopy of temperate exoplanets by 2100. Even a false positive would refine search algorithms; a confirmation would place a potentially habitable, characterisable world in our cosmic neighbourhood, a stepping-stone for the next hundred years of comparative planetology.
Perspectives
Science-focused outlets
e.g., Scientific American, Science@NASA, Newsweek — Highlight that HD 137010 b is still an unconfirmed single-transit candidate likely to be a frigid "cold Earth," stressing the need for multiple follow-up observations before calling it habitable. By foregrounding every caveat they protect scientific credibility and differentiate themselves from hype-driven coverage, but this caution can make discoveries seem less exciting than they might be.
Tabloid & click-driven media
e.g., Daily Star, HuffPost UK, bankingnews.gr — Trumpet the find as a "second Earth" that "could be home to aliens," focusing on the 50 % habitability odds and the dramatic possibility of life despite the deep-freeze temperatures. Sensational framing maximises clicks and shares, so caveats about the single transit or extreme cold are downplayed or buried, giving readers an inflated sense of certainty.
National mainstream coverage with regional pride
e.g., Australian Broadcasting Corporation, The Times of India, NDTV — Cast the discovery, led by Australian-based researchers and citizen scientists, as an exciting nearby target that showcases local scientific prowess and could soon be probed by next-gen telescopes. The celebratory spotlight on home-grown researchers can subtly over-emphasise the breakthrough’s importance while glossing over the significant uncertainty about the planet’s actual habitability.