Buried in data from the now-defunct Kepler space telescope, astronomers have uncovered an exoplanet some 300 light-years away that could be a promising home for alien life. The world, named Kepler-1649 c, is just a touch larger than Earth, but instead of orbiting a Sun-like star, it circles a tiny red dwarf, a class of stars known for throwing violent tantrums. But despite living near a potentially hostile host, Kepler-1649 c sits in the star’s habitable zone — where liquid water can exist on the planet’s surface.
At just 106 percent the diameter of Earth, the newfound exoplanet receives about 75 percent of the starlight that we receive from the Sun. These two factors make it a particularly promising candidate for hosting hypothetical life. And by studying Earth-like planets such as Kepler-1649 c, scientists will continue inching their way toward a more complete understanding of the distribution (or lack thereof) of life in the cosmos.
