Although researchers have identified thousands of exoplanets in the last 25 years, most of them are far larger and far hotter than Earth. But a team recently announced the discovery of a temperate neighbor, Gliese 12 b, some 40 light years away. Gliese 12 b is a rocky Venus-sized planet orbiting the cool red dwarf star Gliese 12. Based on the star’s energy output and the planet’s characteristics, the team estimate its equilibrium temperature — about how hot it would be without an atmosphere — as 42 degrees Celsius. (For comparison, Earth’s average surface temperature is 15 degrees Celsius and rising.) The next goal will be to determine whether Gliese 12 b has an atmosphere and, if so, what it’s made up of. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt; research credit: S. Dholakia et al.; via Gizmodo)
An Exoplanet With Earth-Like Temperatures
