Humans ‘could feel at home’ on new alien planet

An enormous sun rises over a dusty landscape. The morning light is deep red, and it lights up craters and mountains of rock. Somewhere on this distant planet, there could be rivers, oceans, and rain. It may be 300 light-years away, but scientists say it is the most Earth-like planet ever found.

Astronomers stopped using the Kepler telescope to search for exoplanets in 2018. It was only when checking old data that they made a discovery: a planet more similar to Earth than any they had found.

Kepler-1649c orbits a red dwarf star in a small solar system. The small sun gives off little heat, but Kepler-1649c huddles next to it, orbiting so closely that a year takes just 19 days. The exoplanet is in the habitable zone of its solar system, where water and life are far more likely to form. Just 8% larger than Earth, it would feel very similar to home.

“This intriguing, distant world gives us even greater hope that a second Earth lies among the stars, waiting to be found,” says Nasa scientist Thomas Zurbuchen.

Have we found a second Earth?

Not quite. We don’t know enough about this planet yet. Radiation levels could be high, the atmosphere could be uninhabitable, and there is no proof of water. The planet is 300 light-years away, meaning travel is currently impossible. Plus, the star could be dangerous – a ball of nuclear fusion so close to a planet could wipe out life in seconds.

Possibly! This planet gives us a lot to hope for when it comes to finding habitable planets. It is the right size and temperature. The possibility that water could exist on it is high, and the rocky terrain is not unlike Earth’s. As technology advances, life in space will become more likely and Kepler-1649c could be one of our first options.