September 30, 2010

Newly Discovered Planet May Be First Truly Habitable Exoplanet

ScienceDaily for September 29, 2010 reported
on an exoplanet that likely has the conditions for life.

A team of planet hunters led by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's "habitable zone," where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one.