JOIN USAstronomers claimed to have discovered a planet that is twice the size of earth and may be capable of supporting human life.
The planet is 22 light years away, previously thought to be 20 light years, and is formally known as Gliese 581g, an Australian daily reported.
The study by astronomers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and the Carnegie Institution of Washington shows the planet is twice the size of earth.
It is known as a “super earth” due to its ability to hold on to its gassy atmosphere, which increases its chances of retaining liquid.
While such claims by lead researcher Professor Vogt from the University of California have been previously reported, a new study, released to News.com.au this week, dismisses calls of balderdash by the international science community, the report said.
Vogt said that he has since named it ‘Zarmina’s world’, after his wife.
The scientists were not clear whether this liquid is frozen and stored under the surface or flowing freely across the planet.
He said that the planet has “churchly weather”.However the researchers were unable to determine what the surface of the planet is like, Vogt was quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph.
The planet exists in a band of perpetual twilight near its orbiting star known as the ‘Goldilocks zone’, an area near earth that isn’t too hot, or cold but is just right for sustaining life.
The researcher said after making first contact, an answer may be received within 44 years.
This isn’t the first time Vogt has claimed the existence of a habitable planet. His findings back in 2010 sparked a scientific fight between the US researchers and a rival team of Swiss astronomers, known as “HARPS” (High Accuracy Radial Velocity Planet).
The study will be published in European astrophysics journal, Astronomisch Naschrischten (AEST).