doi.org/10.1038/s41550-025-02565-z
Credibility: 989
#superearth
A new detection method has revealed a potentially habitable super-Earth, boosting the search for planets capable of supporting life
“Are we alone”” This question has fascinated humanity for generations.
In 1995, the discovery of the first exoplanet (a planet outside our Solar System) orbiting a Sun-like star marked a turning point in trying to answer this mystery.
Since then, exoplanet research has become a major focus of modern astronomy, helping to understand how planets form, evolve, and perhaps harbor life.
A major goal is to find Earth-like planets located in habitable zones-regions around stars where conditions could support the existence of liquid water, essential for life as we know it.
Discovery with a New Method
An international team led by the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made a significant discovery using a method called Transit Timing Variation (TTV).
For the first time, this method has enabled the discovery of a super-Earth, named Kepler-725c, which has about 10 times the mass of Earth and orbits in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star called Kepler-725. The results were published in the journal *Nature Astronomy*.
Typically, scientists use two methods to find small planets (up to 10 times the mass of Earth) in habitable zones: the transit method (which observes the dimming of the star’s light when a planet passes in front of it) and the radial velocity method (which detects the wobble of the star caused by the planet’s gravity).
However, these methods have limitations.
Small planets with long orbits produce weak signals that are difficult to detect, especially with the radial velocity technique, which requires very precise measurements.
The transit method only works if the planet passes exactly in Earth’s line of sight, which is rare for planets with long orbits.
Kepler-725c and Its Chances of Habitability
The new planet, Kepler-725c, is not detectable by the transit method, but it orbits a G9V star, similar to the Sun.
It completes an orbit around the star in 207.5 days and is at a distance of 0.674 astronomical units (AU), receiving about 1.4 times the solar radiation that Earth receives.
For part of its orbit, it remains within the star’s habitable zone, making it a promising candidate for habitability.
The team used the TTV signals from the planet Kepler-725b, a gas giant with a 39.64-day orbit in the same system, to calculate the mass and details of Kepler-725c’s orbit.
The TTV method does not require the planet to pass in front of the star or super-precise measurements of the star, making it ideal for finding small, long-orbiting planets that are missed by other methods.
Thus, TTV is a powerful tool for discovering planets like “Earth 2.0.”
Based on these results, future missions, such as Europe’s PLATO mission and China’s ET (“Earth 2.0”) mission, could use the TTV method to greatly increase the chances of finding an Earth-like planet capable of supporting life.
Published in 08/07/2025 16h57
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption. Information about DOI, author and institution can be found in the body of the article.
Reference article:
- https://scitechdaily.com/earth-2-0-breakthrough-discovery-reveals-potentially-habitable-super-earth/
Original study:
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