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New Super-Earth discovered: A prime candidate for alien life

Planet HD 20794d, just 20 light-years away, may harbour conditions perfect for life.

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Astronomers have just found a planet that could be the next best thing to Earth in our quest for alien life. HD 20794d, a super-Earth located 20 light years from us, has scientists buzzing. The planet orbits its star in what's known as the Goldilocks zone, meaning it's in the perfect spot for liquid water to exist—a key ingredient for life as we know it. It's also rocky, not too big to be a gas giant, and has an orbit that could support habitable conditions, despite being a little eccentric. This discovery, which took two decades to confirm, could provide us with our best shot yet at finding life beyond Earth, especially with future missions using cutting-edge technology like the James Webb Space Telescope. According to the researchers at Oxford, there's hope that HD 20794d's proximity will allow for future missions to explore its atmosphere for signs of life. For more details, you can read the official press release here.

Could this planet be home to something other than us?

New Super-Earth discovered: A prime candidate for alien life
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