When the balance in reflectivity shifts, “the whole circulation of the climate will shift in order to transport energy from the hemisphere that has a surplus to the one that has a deficit,” Soden says. This could influence ocean currents and the location of rainfall bands, which can have ramifications for water availability.

The view of Earth from space is famously familiar—bright blue ocean, swirling gyres of white clouds, touches of terrestrial green. Scientists measure the planet’s brightness by factoring in how much light reaches earth and how much is reflected back out to space (as measured by orbiting satellites).

The newly discovered world is called GJ 251c and it is a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star less than 20 light-years away.