Scientists say that the newly found world could also potentially have an atmosphere.
Their observations have revealed a number of exoplanets spinning around the star.
Recently they discovered two new alien worlds, so together with the previous findings; this brings the number of planets orbiting Gliese 581 to six.
But the most important new revelation is that one of those worlds might be the most Earth-like planet yet identified.
Astronomers have detected an Earth-like exoplanet that may have just the right kind of conditions to support life.
Gliese 581g lies some 20 light-years away in its star's "Goldilocks zone" - a region surface temperature would allow the presence of liquid water.
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An artist's impression of Gliese 581g |
The researchers, from the University of California at Santa Cruz (UCSC) and the Carnegie Institution of Washington, have been studying the movement of the planet's parent star, a red dwarf called Gliese 581, for 11 years.
Their observations have revealed a number of exoplanets spinning around the star.
Recently they discovered two new alien worlds, so together with the previous findings; this brings the number of planets orbiting Gliese 581 to six.
But the most important new revelation is that one of those worlds might be the most Earth-like planet yet identified.
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