
Earth-Like Planets May Be ‘Abundant' Around Red Dwarfs, Scientists Say
There could be potentially hundreds of Earth-like planets close to the solar system, according to a new study that has found them to be common around the most typical kind of star.
Red dwarf stars — low-mas stars about a tenth to a fifth the mass of the sun — make up about 80% of the stars in the Milky Way, according to the European Southern Observatory. It's also thought that 20 out of the 30 stars near Earth are red dwarfs, including the closest star, Proxima Centauri, which was recently discovered to have potentially two planets in orbit.
Now, results from a new project called CARMENES have led to the identification of four new exoplanets — and a powerful new insight into where more are likely to be found.
Four New Exoplanets
An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than the sun. Using an instrument called CARMENES at the Calar Alto Observatory near Almería, Spain, astronomers studied 15 red dwarf stars and discovered four new planets. Three of the planets were Earth-sized, while one was 14 times larger.
Extrapolating that data in a new paper published in Astronomy & Astrophysics shows that stars with less than 16% of the star's mass have, on average, about two planets that are less than three times the mass of Earth.
'Quite Remarkable' Findings
The discovery is limited to small planets — large planets appear to be rare around red dwarfs. 'It is quite remarkable how often small planets occur around very low-mass stars,' said lead author Dr Adrian Kaminski from the Königstuhl Observatory at the Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University, Germany. 'This suggests that low-mass stars tend to form smaller planets in close orbits.'
Red Dwarves And 'Earth 2.0'
Of the 5,000 exoplanets discovered so far, none is a twin of Earth in terms of the type of star it orbits or its mass, radius and surface temperature. However, aside from orbiting a red dwarf star, the three small planets discovered using CARMENES do meet other criteria.
'Small, rocky planets in the so-called habitable zone – the area around a star where water could exist in liquid form – are potential candidates for habitable worlds,' said Prof. Dr Andreas Quirrenbach, director of the Königstuhl Observatory. He added that since they're common and long-lived, red dwarf stars could provide stable environments for the development of life.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Milky Way season is here: How can you see our galaxy's core from Oklahoma this summer?
Along with summer comes the peak time for viewing the core of our galaxy, the Milky Way. But if you want to see the dense area of stars at the center of the Milky Way, you'll need a few conditions in place for the best view. And we hate to break it to you that while it is "Milky Way season," you won't be able to catch a glimpse of the core while watching fireworks this Fourth of July weekend. Here's what you need to know if you'd like to see the Milky Way this summer. The so-called "Milky Way season," the time of year when the core of our galaxy is visible from Earth, runs from early February to late October. During the rest of the year, from late November through January, the galactic center is not visible as the sun hovers between it and Earth, according to Outside Magazine. The best time to see the Milky Way core from Oklahoma, according to Capture the Atlas, is from late March to late August. More: When is the July full moon? Here's how to see the Buck Moon, learn history In order to see the galaxy core, you'll need extremely dark skies. It can be helpful to use a light pollution map, or check out the list of DarkSky International's certified DarkSky places. The best time of night to view the Milky Way is midnight to 5 a.m., on nights with a new moon. According to Outside Magazine, you should schedule your Milky Way outings between five nights before and after a new moon to avoid the light of the moon affecting your view. The closest certified DarkSky places to Oklahoma City are Copper Breaks State Park in Quanah, Texas, and Lakewood Village, Texas. You can also check out this light pollution map to find a dark enough place in Oklahoma. Oklahoma City falls at a nine, the highest number on the Bortle scale, which measures light pollution. The lower the number, the better. There are some areas in the Panhandle and southwestern Oklahoma with numbers as low as 2.5. This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How to see the Milky Way galaxy's core this summer from Oklahoma


Medscape
2 hours ago
- Medscape
Delayed Breast Cancer Care Raises Mortality Risk
TOPLINE: Patient-attributable delays exceeding 90 days in breast cancer care were associated with a more than threefold higher risk for 2-year mortality. Living alone emerged as the only independent predictor of prolonged patient-attributable delay (PPAD), increasing the risk for delay by 88.2%. METHODOLOGY: This multicentre prospective cohort study included 543 symptomatic patients with breast cancer diagnosed between 2013 and 2015 across 10 hospitals in Spain's National Health System. PPAD was defined as a delay of more than 90 days between symptom onset and the first medical consultation; overall, 77 patients experienced a PPAD. Researchers examined associations between PPADs and clinical outcomes, including 2-year mortality, while considering sociodemographic and clinical-pathological factors. Diagnosis confirmation involved imaging techniques, including mammography and/or ultrasound, followed by biopsy. TAKEAWAY: Living alone emerged as the sole independent predictor of PPAD (odds ratio [OR], 1.882; 95% CI, 1.033-3.42; P = .039). Among patients who sought medical care within 90 days, the mortality rate was 3.2%; however, among those who experienced delays exceeding 90 days, the rate was 11.7%. In multivariate analysis, patient-attributable delays exceeding 90 days remained a significant risk factor for 2-year mortality (OR, 3.08; 95% CI, 1.05-9.07), and advanced disease stages (stages III-IV) demonstrated the highest risk for mortality (OR, 6.78; 95% CI, 2.51-18.3). Age remained a significant predictor of mortality (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07). The basal-like immunophenotype demonstrated the highest risk for mortality among subtypes (OR, 7.49; 95% CI, 2.68-20.9). IN PRACTICE: "Our findings highlight the need for targeted interventions to raise cancer symptom awareness and address barriers faced by vulnerable groups, such as the elderly and individuals living alone, to reduce delays, improve clinical outcomes, increase survival rates, and ultimately the quality of life for patients," the authors of the study wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Desirée Martín-García, Hospital Universitario Costa del Sol, Marbella, Spain. It was published online on June 24, 2025, in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology. LIMITATIONS: Psychosocial factors that contributed to delayed medical attention were not collected as part of the original study protocol, which limited the ability to fully understand patient motivations. This study relied on self-reported data regarding the time patients take to seek medical care, which may have introduced recall bias. Additionally, the study's focus on the Spanish healthcare context may have limited the generalisability of the findings to other settings with different healthcare systems and cultural dynamics. DISCLOSURES: This study received funding from the Carlos III Health Institute and Andalusian Ministry of Health, with co-funding from the European Social Fund/European Regional Development Fund. The authors declared having no conflicts of interest. This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.


Forbes
6 hours ago
- Forbes
See A Full ‘Buck Moon' And Venus Rise As Jupiter Returns: The Night Sky This Week
The full buck moon rises above the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York ... More City on July 16, 2019 as seen from Kearney, New Jersey. (Photo by) Each Monday, I pick out North America's celestial highlights for the week ahead (which also apply to mid-northern latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere). Check my main feed for more in-depth articles on stargazing, astronomy, eclipses and more. The Night Sky This Week: July 7-13, 2025 As July unfolds, the night sky is busy with action. A nearly full moon begins the week with a visit to the red supergiant Antares. Venus continues to dazzle as the 'Morning Star' reaches its highest pre-dawn altitude, while Jupiter makes a subtle return to the morning twilight. By week's end, a full 'Buck Moon' lights up the sky, and two summer meteor showers ramp up. Here's everything you need to know about stargazing and astronomy this week: Monday, July 7: Moon Meets Antares Monday, July 7: Moon Meets Antares Look southeast after sunset tonight, and you'll see a 92%-illuminated waxing gibbous moon just four degrees below Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius. Tuesday, July 8: Venus Reaches Its Peak Tuesday, July 8: Venus Reaches Its Peak Venus reaches its highest point in the morning sky today during its current apparition as the bright 'Morning Star." Look to the east-northeast about 30 minutes before sunrise, and there'll be no mistaking the bright planet about 25 degrees above the horizon. From now through July 21, it will be especially prominent in the pre-dawn hour. Wednesday, July 9: Jupiter Reappears After a few weeks, hidden by the sun's glare as, from our point of view, it passed behind our star, the giant planet Jupiter this morning returns to the pre-dawn sky. Catch it rising in the constellation Gemini just before sunrise, shining at 1.9 magnitude. Venus, meanwhile, continues its eastward journey, edging closer to Aldebaran in the constellation Taurus. Thursday, July 10: The Full 'Buck Moon' Rises Tonight marks the first full moon of summer in the Northern Hemisphere — the 'Buck Moon.' Named for the fresh antler growth of deer during this time, it's also known as the Hay Moon and Thunder Moon. The moon officially reaches full phase at 4:38 p.m. EDT, but the best show will be at moonrise where you are. Head outside at dusk and watch it rise as an enormous, orange orb on the eastern horizon. Because this full moon comes shortly after the solstice, it will stay low in the southern sky and set in the southwest during dawn. Saturday, July 12: Venus Meets Aldebaran Saturday, July 12: Venus Meets Aldebaran Rise early this morning for a striking close encounter in the constellation Taurus. Venus will appear about three degrees above Aldebaran, while just above will be the shimmering Pleiades star cluster. It's a spectacular target for the naked eye. Today is their closest approach, but this trio will remain fabulous for a few more mornings yet. Sunday, July 13: Summer Meteor Season Begins Tonight brings the official start of two overlapping meteor showers — the Delta Aquarids and Alpha Capricornids. Though neither will peak until July 30, tonight is the first night when shooting stars may grace the sky. The showers tend to produce slow, steady meteors, best viewed from dark locations in the pre-dawn hours. They're best seen as an added bonus to a stargazing session; don't make special plans for these two. The times and dates given apply to mid-northern latitudes. For the most accurate location-specific information, consult online planetariums like Stellarium. Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.