Closest 'habitable' planet found 14 light years away

December 20, 2015 22:52

Astronomers have discovered the closest potentially habitable planet found outside our solar system, orbiting a star just 14 light years away.

The planet, more than four times the mass of Earth, is one of three that the team detected around a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061.

"It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface, and the middle planet, Wolf 1061c, sits within the 'Goldilocks' zone where it might be possible for liquid water -- and maybe even life -- to exist," said lead study author Duncan Wright, from University of New South Wales in Australia.

"It is fascinating to look out at the vastness of space and think a star so very close to us -- a near neighbour -- could host a habitable planet," Wright said.

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