The planets, which were discovered around a star called K2-239, are incredibly close to Earth in overall size, with radii measuring between 1.0 and 1.1 times that of our own planet. The research was published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The planets are a close match to Earth in size, but they’re positioned much, much closer to their star than Earth is to the Sun. They have orbital periods of between 5.2 and 10.1 Earth days, compared to 365 days for us here at home.
Being that close, you might think that the planets would be unbearably hot but the scientists say that might not be the case. The star, which is located roughly 160 light years from Earth, isn’t like our Sun. K2-239 is a Red Dwarf, and it’s only about half as warm as the Sun. That means that, despite the incredibly close proximity of the three exoplanets to their host star, the surface temperature of the Earth-sized worlds may only be “tens of degrees higher,” according to the scientists.. – READ MORE
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