New planet is one of the best ever hopes for seeing alien life, scientists say

A newly discovered “super-Earth” planet could allow us to finally see alien life, researchers say.

The world – named GJ 251 c and lying less than 20 light years away – is thought to be a “super Earth”, a class of planets that are rocky worlds like our own but much bigger. Those planets are thought to be our best chance at finding alien life elsewhere.

What’s more, GJ 251 c is in the “Goldilocks Zone”, neither too close or too far from its Sun so that liquid water could exist on its surface. Scientists found it using the Habitable-Zone Planet Finder, a survey that looks for other worlds in that sweet spot.

Researchers believe that the world could be one of the most exciting prospects we have found in the search for alien life, scientists say.

It was found by scientists using more than