Astronomers have identified a frozen, Earth-sized world circling a nearby sunlike star, a find that sharpens the search for planets that resemble our own while underscoring how rare truly temperate twins may be. The candidate planet, HD 137010 b, appears to be rocky and close to Earth in size, but its surface is likely far colder than anything humans have experienced outside polar research stations.
Orbiting about 146 light years away, this “ice cold Earth” sits near the outer edge of its star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist only under the right atmospheric conditions. I see it as a kind of cosmic control case, a reminder that being Earth-like in size and orbit is not enough on its own to guarantee a comfortable, blue-and-green world.
What NASA actually found around HD 137010
The Discovery centers on HD 137010 b, a candidate planet that might be remarkably similar to Earth in size and orbit but with one crucial difference, it appears to be much colder. Early analyses suggest a rocky world only slightly larger than our own, circling a star that is broadly comparable to the Sun, which is why scientists have been willing to describe it as a kind of cold Earth in the first place. In official material, the object is introduced as an exoplanet candidate in a system about 146 light years away, a distance close enough that future telescopes could probe its atmosphere in detail, if it has one, and test how a small shift in stellar heating reshapes a planet’s climate compared with Earth.
Researchers did not stumble on HD 137010 b with a brand new observatory, they pulled it from the archives of the retired Kepler Space Telescope, which continues to yield discoveries long after its final observation. Scientists are still mining that trove of light curves for subtle dips that betray the presence of small planets, and in this case the signal pointed to a world with a roughly yearlong orbit that places it near the cooler boundary of its star’s habitable zone. Reporting on the find notes that Scientists are particularly interested in whether a suitable atmosphere could keep at least part of the surface above the freezing point of water.
A colder cousin of Earth, maybe chillier than Mars
What makes HD 137010 b so intriguing is not just that it is Earth-sized, it is that it appears to sit right on the edge of what we usually call habitability, probably on the cold side. Analyses of its orbit indicate that it receives less energy from its star than Earth does from the Sun, which would leave its surface temperatures more like a deep freeze than a mild spring day. One detailed summary notes that early estimates put the planet’s climate as colder than Mars, a world where average temperatures hover far below freezing, and that this makes HD 137010 b a strong candidate for an icy, perhaps even glaciated, surface rather than a warm ocean planet, a point underscored in View from an Artist concept that shows a frozen landscape.
That is why several commentators have leaned into the phrase “ice-cold Earth” when describing the find, even as they caution that the label is still provisional. One analysis framed the discovery as NASA adding another potentially habitable world to its catalog, while stressing that the surface is likely more similar to Mars than to our own planet, with temperatures that are hardly hospitable for unprotected humans. Another report put it bluntly, saying “But do not pack your bags just yet,” before explaining that the estimated conditions would be far from comfortable and that any habitability would depend heavily on atmospheric insulation, a caveat that is highlighted in coverage linked through the word But.
Why scientists are cautious about calling it another Earth
For all the excitement, researchers are being careful not to oversell HD 137010 b as a confirmed twin of our home world. At this stage, it remains a candidate, which means astronomers still need more data to be absolutely sure the signal in the Kepler archive is a real planet and not some subtle artifact. Several technical summaries emphasize that none of the usual follow up checks, such as independent radial velocity measurements or repeated transits with a different telescope, have yet been confirmed for this object, and that the designation as a “cold Earth” is a working description rather than a final verdict, a point spelled out in Early coverage.
There is also a deeper scientific reason for restraint, which is that size and orbit alone do not tell us whether a planet is truly Earth-like in the ways that matter for life. Without a direct measurement of its atmosphere, scientists can only model a range of possibilities, from a thin, Mars-style blanket that leaves the surface frozen solid to a thicker mix of gases that could trap enough heat to keep pockets of liquid water. One detailed analysis of the system notes that, based on its orbital period, HD 137010 b sits at the edge of the habitable zone where small changes in greenhouse gases can flip a world from hostile to potentially hospitable, and that confirming which side it falls on will require future instruments capable of detecting an atmosphere around the planet, a challenge described in a report linked through the word Either.
How the “ice-cold Earth” story spread
The narrative around HD 137010 b has moved quickly from technical notes to public fascination, helped by vivid artwork and social media posts that frame it as a colder cousin of our own planet. Official material features an Artist concept of the exoplanet candidate, showing a dimly lit, frozen landscape that captures the imagination even as it simplifies the underlying uncertainties, and that image has been widely shared as a visual shorthand for the discovery, as seen in the Artist rendering. Social media accounts devoted to astronomy have amplified the story with captions that ask, “Have astronomers found a colder cousin of #Earth,” inviting readers to imagine what such a world might be like while linking back to more detailed explanations, a pattern visible in posts connected through the word Have.
More traditional outlets have also leaned into the drama of the phrase “ice-cold Earth,” sometimes repeating it in headlines and subheads while unpacking the science in the body of their stories. One feature framed the question explicitly with the line Has NASA just discovered an ice-cold “Earth”, crediting Milica as the author and noting that NASA has just added another potentially habitable world to its growing list, even as it stressed that the planet might be some form of water world locked under ice. That same piece highlighted the date 29.01 as a marker of when the story broke for its audience, and it is accessible through a link on Has NASA, while a companion version of the same story, also by Milica, appears under the link on Earth and explicitly credits NASA for the underlying discovery.
Why this frozen world matters for the hunt for life
Even if HD 137010 b turns out to be a frigid, largely frozen planet, it occupies a crucial niche in the broader catalog of exoplanets that helps scientists map the boundary between lifeless ice balls and potentially habitable worlds. Sitting at the edge of its star’s habitable zone, it offers a natural laboratory for testing climate models that predict how much greenhouse warming is needed to keep water liquid under weak sunlight, and how quickly a planet can tip into a global snowball state. One technical report describes the planet as Sitting at the edge of its star’s habitable zone and notes that NASA, JPL and Caltech scientists, including Keith Miller, are already thinking about what they want to find out next about it, a perspective captured in coverage linked through Sitting.
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*This article was researched with the help of AI, with human editors creating the final content.
