A potentially habitable new planet has been discovered 146 light-years away – but it may be -70C

The Earth-size planet HD 137010 b has a ‘50% chance of residing in the habitable zone’ of its sun-like star, scientists say

Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable new planet about 146 light-years away which is Earth-sized and has conditions similar to Mars.

The candidate planet, named HD 137010 b, orbits a sun-like star and is estimated to be 6% larger than Earth.

An international team of scientists in Australia, the UK, the US and Denmark identified the planet using data captured in 2017 by the Nasa Kepler space telescope’s extended mission, known as K2.

Dr Chelsea Huang, a researcher at the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) in Australia, said the planet has an orbit similar to Earth’s, of about 355 days.