Most Earth-like planet ever discovered could be a cosy home for alien life

[Judi Lynn]

14. Eight new planets where life could exist found

Eight new planets where life could exist found

By Ellie Zolfagharifard

8:31 AM Wednesday Jan 7, 2015


Eight new planets have been discovered in the 'Goldilocks' zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where oceans and life could exist.

The discovery doubles the number of small planets less than twice the diameter of Earth that are believed to be in the habitable zone of their parent stars.

Among these eight, astronomers said there were two that were the most similar to Earth of any known exoplanets to date.

'Most of these planets have a good chance of being rocky, like Earth,' said lead scientist Dr Guillermo Torres, from the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US.

The two most Earth-like planets, known as Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b, both orbit red dwarf stars that are smaller and cooler than the sun.

With a diameter just 12 per cent bigger than Earth, Kepler-438b has a 70 per cent chance of being rocky, the scientists have calculated.

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