On November 15th 2017, European scientists announced in the journal, Astronomy & Astrophysics, that they had discovered a nearby planet that appears to be Earth like in nature. The planet orbits a small red dwarf star that is 11 light years from here and has been named Ross 128. The planet, which has been named Ross 128b is believed to be a rocky planet that is one and a half times the mass of the Earth, and may be in the star's habitable zone.
Although it is 20 times closer to it star than the earth, Ross 128b is still in a region where life maybe possible. The red dwarf has a relatively low temperature which would give the planet a temperature somewhere between -76 and 68 degrees Fahrenheit. That range could give rise to the presence of liquid water, which essential for life. Ross 128b's parent star is also believed to be a quiet one, not prone to large flares or high energy outbursts of radiation.
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