The planet is only 35% more massive than Earth, receives only 38% more starlight, and is expected to be a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist on the surface, if it has an atmosphere.

[1] Due to it being discovered by the radial velocity method,[5] the only known physical parameter for Ross 128 b is its minimum possible mass.

[8][9] A 2024 study of the radial velocity data found an eccentricity of about 0.21 for Ross 128 b, higher than previous estimates and similar to that of Mercury.

The habitable zone is defined as the region around a star where temperatures are just right for a planet with a thick enough atmosphere to support liquid water, a key ingredient in the development of life as we know it.

With its moderately high stellar flux, Ross 128 b is likely more prone to water loss, mainly on the side directly facing the star.

However, an Earth-like atmosphere, assuming one exists, would be able to distribute the energy received from the star around the planet and allow more areas to potentially hold liquid water.

[10] In addition, study author Xavier Bonfils noted the possibility of significant cloud cover on the star-facing side, which would block out much incoming stellar energy and help keep the planet cool.

[5] Many red dwarfs like Proxima Centauri and TRAPPIST-1 are prone to releasing potentially deadly flares caused by powerful magnetic fields.

Billions of years of exposure to these flares can potentially strip a planet of its atmosphere and render it sterile with possibly dangerous amounts of radiation.

This would enable scientists to find biosignatures in the planet's atmosphere, which are chemicals like oxygen, ozone, and methane that are created by known biological processes.