Potentially habitable Earth-size planet discovered 40 light-years away

A potentially habitable exoplanet that is roughly similar in size to Earth has been found in a system located 40 light-years away, according to a new study. The planet is about the size of Venus, so slightly smaller than Earth, and may be temperate enough to support life, the researchers said. Dubbed Gliese 12 b, the planet takes 12.8 days to orbit a star that is 27% of the sun’s size. It’s not yet known whether the exoplanet has an atmosphere.

The researchers are keen to get a closer look at the exoplanet, including with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, which launched into space in 2021 and is equipped with a sophisticated suite of instruments capable of studying exoplanet atmospheres. The scientists want to determine if the planet has an atmosphere similar to that on Earth, or whether its atmosphere is as extreme and hostile as that on Venus.

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