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An exoplanet called Kepler-1649c orbits a red dwarf’s habitable zone, so far from the central star that liquid water may be on its surface, writes Science Alert. It is almost exactly the size of Earth, and receives 75 percent of the light we receive from the Red Dwarf Sun. In other words, it is conceivable that conditions prevail on its surface that allow the presence of life.
The planet orbits 300 light years from Earth, and so far is the most terrestrial planet we know of. Of course, it is not worth declaring from the beginning that it can be habitable: for example, we know nothing about its atmosphere, although this is one of the most important factors when it comes to the development of life.
The planet was discovered by an international research team when data from the now-retired Kepler Space Telescope from NASA was re-examined. We knew about its existence before, but not that it could be so similar to Earth.
According to a study in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, not only the planet itself is interesting, but also how its star orbits its neighbor: while Kepler-1649c orbits the red dwarf in 19.5 Earth days, its neighbor is even closer to Earth. star and it takes even less time to move around it.
Its relative motion is very interesting: the Kepler-1649c makes four circles around the red dwarf, while the other planet makes four. According to the researchers, this characteristic may mean that it is a very stable system in the long term.
Main Image: NASA / Ames Research Center / Daniel Rutter
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