Earth seems to have found it's twin sibling. A planet of the same size orbiting our nearest solar system. The 'Second earth' is currently orbiting close to the Alpha Centauri B star, which is thought to be much too hot to sustain life (Up to 1500 degrees celsius on the surface of the planet). However, scientists are hopeful that this planet may be part of a much larger system of planets, some which may be habitable.
The new planet is located 4.3 light years from our sun, barely a step in astronomical terms. Even so, it would take 40,000 years for a current probe to get there. Despite this, astronomers have not ruled out a space mission in the not-too-distant future. The un-named planet seems to be unusually light, weighing only a little more than Earth. This makes it the lightest exoplanet to be found orbiting a sun-like star. We should find out more about the new planet soon...
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