Astronomers have just discovered Wolf 1061c, a rocky planet that has more than 4-times the mass of the Earth. At just 14-light-years away, it’s currently the closest potentially habitable planet found outside our solar system. “It is a particularly exciting find because all three planets are of low enough mass to be potentially rocky and have a solid surface. 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 Dr Duncan Wright of the University of New South Wales (UNSW). Continue reading for another video on Super Earths and more information. Click here to view more potentially habitable planets and space pictures.
“The three newly detected planets orbit the small, relatively cool and stable star about every five, 18 and 67 days. Their masses are at least 1.4, 4.3 and 5.2 times that of Earth, respectively. The larger outer planet falls just outside the outer boundary of the habitable zone, but is also likely to be rocky, while the smaller inner planet is too close to the star to be habitable,” Mail Online.
