‘Exciting’ Earth-Like Planet Found Close To The Solar System
Astronomers have discovered GJ 3378b, a super-Earth exoplanet located 25 light-years away within its star's habitable zone. The discovery, made using telescopes in Texas and Arizona, provides a new target for future atmospheric studies regarding potential life.
Why it matters
Finding Earth-like planets in close proximity to our solar system is a major milestone in the search for extraterrestrial life and understanding planetary habitability.
Science ‘Exciting’ Earth-Like Planet Found Close To The Solar System By Jamie Carter ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. Follow Author Aug 20, 2026, 01:00am EDT Topline Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-like exoplanet just 25 light-years from the solar system, offering another promising target in the search for life beyond Earth. The newly identified planet, named GJ 3378b, is a potentially rocky world, according to NASA , which orbits within the habitable zone of its host star, where temperatures may allow liquid water to exist on its surface. The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal , highlights how potentially habitable worlds close to the sun may be more common than previously thought.
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