9/30/2010 PERMALINK
Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet, and it's only 20 light years away. SOURCE : A team of planet hunters has announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet (three times the mass of Earth) orbiting a nearby star at a distance that places it squarely in the middle of the star's 'habitable zone,' where liquid water could exist on the planet's surface. If confirmed, this would be the most Earth-like exoplanet yet discovered and the first strong case for a potentially habitable one. Good news, because the Cosmos is a very dangerous neighborhood and our species needs to get all our eggs out of one basket if we want to continue our existence in it.