For the first time a planet the size of an Earth has been discovered rotating around a star that is similar to the sun and located only 73 light years away. This newly discovered planet, named HD 63433D, was found during ongoing observations following initial discoveries made in 2020. Prior to this, astronomers had found Earth-sized planets, but they revolved around smaller and colder red dwarfs, not stars on the main sequence like our sun.
A notable characteristic of this newly discovered planet is its close proximity to its star, causing it to complete one revolution around HD 63433 in just 4.2 days. Due to this, it is unlikely to be suitable for life as we know it. The planet is constantly facing the star, resulting in temperatures reaching up to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit on one side, while the other side remains in constant darkness and freezing cold.
The HD 63433 star, which is about 400 million years old and 90% younger than the sun, is bright enough to be visible without powerful telescopes. Melinda Soarez-Furtado, the lead author of the study and a NASA Hubble researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, emphasizes that this discovery can provide unique insights into the formation of Earth.
This finding paves the way for the search for inhabited exoplanets. Researchers believe that discovering a planet of this size around a sun-like star presents numerous exciting opportunities for further investigation. The star is visible from both the northern and southern hemispheres, allowing for various studies using different telescopes and instruments.
Soarez-Furtado highlights that this is just the first step, and there may still be many unknown secrets hidden on this newly discovered planet and its closest stars, including the processes involved in the formation of Earth-sized, potentially habitable planets.