Scientists discover new chilly Earth-like planet

Astronomers have identified a potentially habitable new planet in the Milky Way, located around 150 light-years away.

Named HD 137010 b, it has many similarities to Earth, with conditions resembling those of Mars.

However, if you fancied heading there, you might need to wrap up warm.

It's thought that temperatures on the surface of the planet are super chilly, at around minus 70 degrees Celsius.

The discovery was made by an international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of Southern Queensland in Australia, using Nasa's now retired Kepler Space Telescope.

They found that HD 137010 b is a rocky planet, slightly larger than Earth, which orbits a Sun-like star.

Similar to our planet, HD 137010 b is also thought to lie within an area from its star known as the "habitable zone", meaning it's not close enough that it's too hot and not too far from the star that it's too cold.

As a result, it's much more likely to have water on its surface - a key ingredient for life.

The team also estimates that the orbital period of HD 137010 b is likely to be similar to Earth's, around one year.

However, there is a bit of bad news too.

Experts think that the amount of heat and light that HD 137010 b receives from its star is less than a third of what Earth receives from the Sun, meaning the new planet is cooler and dimmer than ours.

As a result, researchers estimate that the planet's surface temperature could be no higher than -70 degrees Celsius.

Dr Alexander Venner, from the University of South Queensland, explained: "If HD 137010 b has an atmosphere like that of Earth or Mars, it is likely to be colder than Antarctica.

"But a thicker atmosphere could warm the planet enough to allow liquid water, which might be a good environment for life," he added.