... A warmer planetary haven around cool stars . Planets orbiting cool stars may be much warmer and less icy than their counterparts orbiting much hotter stars, even though they receive the same amount of light. ... In a bit of cosmic irony, planets orbiting cooler stars may be more likely to remain ice free than planets around hotter stars. ... Around a cooler M-dwarf star, the more light the ice absorbs, the warmer the planet gets. ... The more light the ice reflects, the cooler the planet gets. ...