A team of Chinese and German scientists has discovered a potential Earth-like planet in the habitable zone of a sun-like star, using a groundbreaking detection method. The planet, named Kepler-725c, is about ten times the mass of Earth and could possess conditions suitable for life, according to a study published in Nature Astronomy on Tuesday.
Unlike traditional methods that rely on visible planetary transits or radial velocity signals, the researchers employed the Transit Timing Variation (TTV) technique. By analyzing timing irregularities in the orbit of a neighboring gas giant, Kepler-725b, they were able to deduce both the mass and orbital path of the hidden planet.
“This demonstrates the potential of the TTV technique to detect low-mass planets in the habitable zones of sun-like stars,” said Sun Leilei, lead author from the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Kepler-725c orbits its host star every 207.5 days—roughly two-thirds of an Earth year—placing it squarely in the star’s habitable zone. This region is where temperatures may allow liquid water to exist, a key ingredient for life as we know it.
Located about 2,472 light-years from Earth, the Kepler-725 star system is similar in temperature and luminosity to our sun, making it a strong candidate in the ongoing search for life beyond our solar system.
Research team leader Gu Shenghong, also from the Yunnan Observatories, noted that although the planet meets key criteria for habitability, further investigation is needed to determine whether it can support Earth-like life.
The discovery was made by a collaborative team from the Yunnan Observatories, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics and Technology, and Hamburg Observatory.
