February 3, 2012 06:37 pm EDT

New super-Earth detected, 'best candidate' for supporting life

A new potentially life-bearing "super-Earth" has been discovered orbiting a relatively nearby star. Described as the "best candidate" for supporting liquid water -- and therefore life -- the planet (GJ 667Cc) is believed to be about 4.5 times the size of Earth. The parent star (GJ 667C) is 22 light years away, and this is the second potentially Earth-like rock scientists have discovered orbiting the M-class dwarf. With a 28.15 day cycle, it's calculated to receive 90 percent as much light as Earth, and much of that is infrared (meaning the actual energy delivered is about equal) -- crucially hinting at similar temperatures and favorable conditions. Not enough is known about the atmosphere right now to fully nail the water prospects, but it's still our best hope of discovering life as we (don't) know it yet.

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New super-Earth detected, 'best candidate' for supporting life originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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