{"id":293876,"date":"2026-01-20T12:01:08","date_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/293876\/"},"modified":"2026-01-20T12:01:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T12:01:08","slug":"new-survey-of-nearest-stars-reveals-best-spots-for-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/293876\/","title":{"rendered":"New survey of nearest stars reveals best spots for life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kepler-186f-exoplanet-artist-concept-April-17-2014.jpg\" alt=\"Survey of nearest stars: Closeup planet with clouds, oceans and continents, a nearby bright star, and dots for more planets.\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" class=\"size-full wp-image-462007\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2024\/01\/Kepler-186f-exoplanet-artist-concept-April-17-2014-large.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | This is an artist\u2019s concept of <a href=\"https:\/\/exoplanets.nasa.gov\/resources\/198\/kepler-186f-the-first-earth-size-planet-in-the-habitable-zone-artists-concept\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Kepler-186f<\/a>, an Earth-sized <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-are-exoplanets\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">exoplanet<\/a> about <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/how-far-is-a-light-year\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">500 light-years<\/a> from Earth. It was the 1st Earth-sized exoplanet found in the <a href=\"https:\/\/exoplanets.nasa.gov\/search-for-life\/habitable-zone\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">habitable zone<\/a> of its star, where liquid water could exist. Now, a new survey of nearest stars to the sun \u2013 more than 2,000 nearby <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/K-type_main-sequence_star\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">K-type stars<\/a> \u2013 is helping astronomers find out which stars are the most likely to have habitable planets. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/exoplanets.nasa.gov\/resources\/198\/kepler-186f-the-first-earth-size-planet-in-the-habitable-zone-artists-concept\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">NASA<\/a>\/ Ames\/ SETI Institute\/ JPL-Caltech.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Which stars in the sun\u2019s neighborhood<\/strong> are the most likely to have habitable planets? A new survey of nearby stars is helping to find the answer.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The survey covered more than 2,000 stars<\/strong> within 130 light-years of Earth. The stars are K-type, smaller and dimmer than the sun but larger than red dwarfs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>These stars have much longer lives than our sun,<\/strong> allowing habitable planets more time to develop life.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthskystore.org\/collections\/astronomy-tools\/products\/earthsky-lunar-calendar\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">EarthSky\u2019s 2026 lunar calendar is available now. Get yours today! Makes a great gift.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A new survey of nearest stars<\/p>\n<p>Astronomers have discovered more than <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/6000-exoplanets-confirmed-worlds-outside-solar-system\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">6,000 exoplanets<\/a> \u2013 planets orbiting other stars \u2013 so far. But which stars are the most likely to have planets that could support life? In a new study led by Georgia State University and the RECONS Institute, researchers <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2026\/01\/06\/new-census-of-the-suns-neighbors-reveals-best-potential-real-estate-for-life\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a> on January 6, 2026, that they conducted a survey of more than 2,000 stars within <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/how-far-is-a-light-year\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">130 light-years<\/a> of Earth. The survey focused on lower-mass <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/K-type_main-sequence_star\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">K-type stars<\/a> and provided precise measurements of their spectra.<\/p>\n<p>K-type stars are the second most common type of star in our galaxy. (M-type stars \u2013 or <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-is-a-red-dwarf-star-most-common\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">red dwarfs<\/a> \u2013 are the most common stars in the <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/astronomy-essentials\/what-is-the-milky-way-galaxy\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Milky Way<\/a>.) Overall, K-type stars comprise about 11% of the stars in the sun\u2019s neighborhood. <\/p>\n<p>Astronomy PhD student <a href=\"https:\/\/www.astro.gsu.edu\/~crrzgax\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sebasti\u00e1n Carrazco-Gaxiola<\/a> at Georgia State University and the RECONS Institute <a href=\"https:\/\/aas.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-01\/AAS247_Mon2_SebastianCarrazcoGaxiola.pdf\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">presented<\/a> the results of the survey at the 247th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society (<a href=\"https:\/\/aas.org\/meetings\/aas247\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">AAS 247<\/a>) in Phoenix, Arizona, on January 5, 2026.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"bluesky-embed\" data-bluesky-uri=\"at:\/\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3mbrs27csf62a\" data-bluesky-cid=\"bafyreigk4fafdkc4elixofxhm2xh3sai6lmdlvxaqvrtzihp7ed32ssysi\">\n<p>A comprehensive survey of over 2,000 nearby K dwarf stars provides new insights into stellar environments that may support Earth-like planets and long-term habitability.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Science X \/ Phys.org (@sciencex.bsky.social)<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/did:plc:ipnqgjcngbafxdo3bv3gamrx\/post\/3mbrs27csf62a?ref_src=embed\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2026-01-06T15:27:15-05:00<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Observing more than 2,000 K-type stars<\/p>\n<p>For the survey, the researchers used state-of-the-art spectrographs on the <a href=\"https:\/\/noirlab.edu\/science\/programs\/ctio\/telescopes\/smarts-consortium\/smarts-history\/telescopes-histories\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">SMARTS<\/a> 60-inch mirror telescope at the Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in Chile and on the 60-inch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfa.harvard.edu\/facilities-technology\/telescopes-instruments\/15-meter-tillinghast-60-inch-telescope\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Tillinghast Telescope<\/a> at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in southern Arizona. The survey focused on more than 2,000 K-type stars within 130 light-years. Carrazco-Gaxiola <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2026\/01\/06\/new-census-of-the-suns-neighbors-reveals-best-potential-real-estate-for-life\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">said<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This survey marks the first comprehensive look at thousands of the sun\u2019s lower-mass cousins. These stars, known as \u2018K dwarfs,\u2019 are commonly found throughout space, and they provide a long-term, stable environment for their planetary companions.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>K-type stars are abundant in our Milky Way galaxy. They are lower in mass and cooler than our <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/G-type_main-sequence_star\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">G-type<\/a> sun and are intermediate in size between red dwarfs and yellow dwarfs. But they also have their own <a href=\"https:\/\/exoplanets.nasa.gov\/search-for-life\/habitable-zone\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">habitable zones<\/a>, where temperatures on a rocky planet could allow liquid water to exist.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfa.harvard.edu\/people\/allyson-bieryla\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Allyson Bieryla<\/a>, an astronomer at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard &amp; Smithsonian added:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/noirlab.edu\/science\/programs\/ctio\/instruments\/chiron\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">CHIRON<\/a> spectrograph on the SMARTS telescope in Chile and the <a href=\"http:\/\/tdc-www.harvard.edu\/instruments\/tres\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">TRES<\/a> spectrograph on the Tillinghast Telescope in Arizona are such complementary instruments. The power of having these two telescopes in opposite hemispheres is that it gives us access to all the K-dwarfs across the entire sky.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>The survey provided detailed estimates of the temperature, age, spin rate and motion of the stars.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/K-type-stars-sun-like-stars-comparison-J-V-Harre-R-Heller-2021.jpg\" alt=\"8 spheres in a row, in oranges, yellows and blues, going from smallest to largest left to right. On black background with a reflection of each sphere below it.\" width=\"800\" height=\"324\" class=\"size-full wp-image-534172\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/files\/2026\/01\/KDwarf_CHARA_Harre-1280x518.jpg\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">View larger<\/a>. | Comparison of various star types, including <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/K-type_main-sequence_star\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">K-type stars<\/a> and sun-like stars (<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/G-type_main-sequence_star\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">G-type<\/a>), 3rd and 4th on the left. Image via J.-V. Harre\/ R. Heller (2021, Astronomische Nachrichten)\/ <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2026\/01\/06\/new-census-of-the-suns-neighbors-reveals-best-potential-real-estate-for-life\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia State University<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/multimedia\/1109194\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">CC BY\/ EurekAlert!<\/a>).<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/SMARTS-60-inch-telescope-Cerro-Tololo-Interamerican-Observatory-Chile-Tillinghast-Telescope-Arizona..jpeg\" alt=\"2 images of telescope domes, one on the left and the other on the right.\" width=\"800\" height=\"392\" class=\"size-full wp-image-534184\"  \/>The <a href=\"https:\/\/noirlab.edu\/science\/programs\/ctio\/telescopes\/smarts-consortium\/smarts-history\/telescopes-histories\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">SMARTS<\/a> 60-inch telescope at Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory in Chile (left) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cfa.harvard.edu\/facilities-technology\/telescopes-instruments\/15-meter-tillinghast-60-inch-telescope\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Tillinghast Telescope<\/a> in Arizona (right). Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2026\/01\/06\/new-census-of-the-suns-neighbors-reveals-best-potential-real-estate-for-life\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia State University<\/a> (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurekalert.org\/multimedia\/1109195\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Public Domain\/ EurekAlert!<\/a>).<br \/>\nHabitable planets?<\/p>\n<p>Similar to red dwarfs, these stars have very long lifespans. In fact, they are in the main sequence of their lives for 17 to 70 billion years, compared to about 10 billion for our sun. That means that any habitable planets would have plenty of time to develop life, if conditions were suitable.<\/p>\n<p>Also, K-type stars are about three to four times as abundant as sunlike stars. Plus, they emit less ultraviolet and ionizing radiation, so are less active in terms of deadly solar flares.<\/p>\n<p>However, as with red dwarfs, the habitable zones are closer to the stars, because the stars themselves are smaller and cooler. So a planet must orbit fairly close to the star to be in the habitable zone. And that could still make the planet prone to X-rays and far-ultraviolet radiation for longer than planets around sunlike stars. Consequently, this could possibly hinder or delay the emergence of life.<\/p>\n<p>But overall, rocky planets around K-type stars are considered to be good targets in the search for extraterrestrial life.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Sebastian-Carrazco-Gaxiola-Georgia-State-University-RECONS.jpg\" alt=\"Man with curly hair, checkered shirt and open jacket standing in a room with huge glass windows. An observatory dome and background mountains are seen outside.\" width=\"500\" height=\"575\" class=\"size-full wp-image-534174\"  \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.astro.gsu.edu\/~crrzgax\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Sebasti\u00e1n Carrazco Gaxiola<\/a> at Georgia State University and RECONS led the new survey of nearby stars. Image via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.astro.gsu.edu\/~crrzgax\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Georgia State University<\/a>.<br \/>\nFoundation for future studies<\/p>\n<p>The researchers said this survey will serve as a foundation for future studies of nearby stars. As senior co-author <a href=\"https:\/\/cas.gsu.edu\/profile\/todd-henry\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Todd Henry<\/a> at Georgia State University noted:<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>This survey will be the foundation for studies of nearby stars for decades to come. These stars and their planets will be the destinations for spacecraft exploration in the far future of space travel.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Bottom line: A new survey of nearest stars to the sun \u2013 more than 2,000 of them \u2013 is helping astronomers determine which ones are the most likely to have habitable planets.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/aas.org\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-01\/AAS247_Mon2_SebastianCarrazcoGaxiola.pdf\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Source: A Volume-Complete All-Sky Spectroscopic Census of more than 2100 Nearby K dwarfs: Insights from the RKSTAR Project<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/news.gsu.edu\/2026\/01\/06\/new-census-of-the-suns-neighbors-reveals-best-potential-real-estate-for-life\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Via Georgia State University<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/habitable-exoplanets-chandra-x-ray-observatory-xmm-newton-stars\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Habitable exoplanets could exist around nearby stars<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/space\/exoplanet-trappist-1e-exoplanets-james-webb-space-telescope-astrobiology\/\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">Read more: Exoplanet TRAPPIST-1e: New hints of a habitable world?<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    Paul Scott Anderson<br \/>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/author\/paul-scott-anderson\/\" class=\"post-author-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">View Articles<\/a><\/p>\n<p>                    About the Author:<\/p>\n<p>Paul Scott Anderson has had a passion for space exploration that began when he was a child when he watched Carl Sagan\u2019s Cosmos. He studied English, writing, art and computer\/publication design in high school and college. He later started his blog The Meridiani Journal in 2005, which was later renamed Planetaria. He also later started the blog Fermi Paradoxica, about the search for life elsewhere in the universe.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nWhile interested in all aspects of space exploration, his primary passion is planetary science and SETI. In 2011, he started writing about space on a freelance basis with Universe Today. He has also written for SpaceFlight Insider and AmericaSpace and has also been published in The Mars Quarterly. He also did some supplementary writing for the iOS app Exoplanet.&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\nHe has been writing for EarthSky since 2018, and also assists with proofing and social media.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"View larger. | This is an artist\u2019s concept of Kepler-186f, an Earth-sized exoplanet about 500 light-years from Earth.&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":293877,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[24368,18,6123,71388,19,17,146266,133,451,146265],"class_list":{"0":"post-293876","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-astrobiology","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-exoplanets","11":"tag-habitability","12":"tag-ie","13":"tag-ireland","14":"tag-k-type-stars","15":"tag-science","16":"tag-space","17":"tag-survey-of-nearest-stars"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115927324082578961","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293876","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=293876"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293876\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/293877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=293876"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=293876"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=293876"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}