Again planet discovered with potentially life

garching - Scientists have discovered a planet again that maybe life is possible. He has been named LHS 1140b and is in a different system.

LHS 1140b is rocky, like the Earth, and probably has an atmosphere. It is slightly larger than Earth. The planet is located in the so-called viable zone. This is the region around a star where it is neither too hot nor too cold, but just right for liquid water on the planet. It is also called the Goudlokjegebied.

The planet is probably at least five billion years old, slightly older than the earth. That means his star has come to rest. Young stars bombard their planets with harmful radiation, which can blow out vapors. In older stars there is much less exposure. That increases the chance of life. And if there has been lava, as on many planets, those who have been able to fill the vapor long with steam, so with water vapor.

The object orbits the star LHS 1140, in the constellation Whale, about 40 light years from Earth. That's pretty close. The find is Thursday in the major science journal Nature. Further research can make clear which elements occur in the atmosphere. That says more about the opportunities in life.

In recent years, several dozen planets found where perhaps life could be possible.