Newly discovered planet is just 4.4 light-years distant
Astronomers searching for Earthlike worlds need look no further than Alpha Centauri, the stellar system next door.
An Earth-sized planet has been discovered circling a star in the system, just 4.4 light-years away. The planet's mass is similar to Earth's, but its orbit is not. Tucked in close to its star — one-twenty-fifth the distance between Earth and the sun — the planet is likely a roasted world incapable of hosting life.
Still, the discovery, reported October 18 in Nature, ignites dreams of sending a spacecraft to Alpha Centauri, a perennially favored interstellar target because of its location in Earth's celestial backyard.