Astronomers have identified a potentially habitable, Earth-sized planet named HD 137010 b about 146 light-years away, orbiting a sun-like star with a 355-day year.

The planet is estimated to be 6% larger than Earth and may lie within the star’s habitable zone, though its cooler, dimmer star could make surface temperatures similar to Mars, possibly below –70°C.

The discovery, made using 2017 data from NASA’s Kepler K2 mission, involved an international team and citizen scientists who first spotted the signal.

While promising, the planet has only one detected transit, so further observations are needed to confirm it and determine whether it is truly Earth-like or an icy “super snowball,” The Guardian has reported.

Its relative closeness and brightness make it a prime candidate for study with next-generation telescopes.