Astronomers discover the most Earth-like exoplanet found to date in a habitable zone

A team of European scientists has identified a super-Earth orbiting a red dwarf star. This discovery is significant because the planet is only 50 percent larger than Earth and exists in a region where liquid water could potentially exist.

Using the ESO 3.6-meter telescope, researchers from Switzerland, France, and Portugal detected this super-Earth, which possesses approximately five times the mass of our planet. It orbits a red dwarf star that was previously known to host a Neptune-mass planet.

The team also found strong evidence suggesting the existence of a third planet in the same system, estimated to have a mass roughly eight times that of Earth. This finding marks a major step in identifying worlds beyond our solar system that share physical characteristics with our own.

Source: Video News Release 23: Astronomers find First Earth-like Planet in Habitable Zone (eso0722)