News Astronomy

Rocky planets around cool stars may have Earthlike climates

Atmospheric heating might be the secret to keeping planets spinning

Red dwarf planet

SPINNING WORLDS  Small, rocky planets around cool, red stars, seen in this illustration, might be more hospitable to life than previously suspected.

D. Aguilar/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

By Christopher Crockett

- More than 2 years ago

There may be more Earthlike environments in the universe than previously thought. Warm, rocky planets that orbit close to their stars might not end up with one side in perpetual daylight as suspected, allowing such planets to sustain an environment hospitable to life.