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Newly-discovered exoplanet could be best clue to life out there

Newly-discovered exoplanet could be best clue to life out there
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By Reuters
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A newly-discovered exoplanet could be the most promising sign yet in the search for life beyond Earth, astronomers say.

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A newly-discovered exoplanet could be the most promising sign yet in the search for life beyond Earth, astronomers say.

The planet, which has been named LHS 1140b, is orbiting a red dwarf star some 40 light years away from our planet.

Astronomers are labelling it a ‘super Earth’.

According to a statement by the European Southern Observatory in Chile, it orbits a habitable area in the constellation of Cetus, the Sea Monster.

The exoplanet is estimated to be at least five billion years old.

ESO #HARPS instrument helps astronomers discover #exoplanet that may be best candidate for signs of life https://t.co/9PIFUpJWHS pic.twitter.com/bbmz1t3uO6

— ESO (@ESO) April 19, 2017

Video COURTESY EUROPEAN SOUTHERN OBSERVATORY

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