A super-Earth planet that dips in and out of its star's habitable zone has been discovered just 19.7 light-years away.

UK researchers have confirmed the existence of a “super Earth” located 20 light-years away that could reveal the existence of extraterrestrial beings.

Found by Dr Michael Cretignier of the University of Oxford, the planet has a mass six times greater than Earth's and orbits in a "habitable zone" of a star similar to the sun.

Thirty years after the discovery of the first exoplanet, astronomers have detected more than 7,000 of them in our galaxy. But there are still billions more to be discovered. At the same time, exoplanetologists have begun to take an interest in their characteristics,

With the discovery of a new "super-Earth," astronomers are hoping it could help answer one of the biggest questions in science: Are we alone in the universe? Super-Earths aren't typically much like our Earth in terms of habitability or composition.

Earth”, which could be home to alien life. The planet, known as HD 20794d, orbits in the habitable zone of a star similar to the sun, and is 20 light years away from our solar system - making it a close neighbour in a galaxy that spans 105,

Earth” planet that may have conditions suitable for life, according to the University of Oxford. The exoplanet – a planet outside our solar system – has a mass six times greater than that of Earth, and orbits in the “habitable zone” of a nearby star similar to our sun 20 light-years away from our solar system.