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Scientists discover new planet just outside solar system

Earth’s big brother: this artist’s impression shows how Planet E could look, orbited by a small moon and probably too close to its own star — and therefore too hot — to be able to sustain human life
Mark Prigg|Science Correspondent
12 April 2012

SCIENTISTS say they have discovered a planet outside our solar system that is close to Earth in size - far different from the massive planetary bodies they had previously seen.

Planet E, or Gliese 581e, is less than twice the size of Earth, and has been found in a galaxy far from here, according to scientists attending a conference at the University of Hertfordshire.

As many as 300 exoplanets - or planets outside our solar system - have been discovered, but most are much larger than Earth. Xavier Bonfils of the Grenoble Observatory in France said the new planet was the least massive exoplanet ever detected.

The new planet is probably too hot for human life because it sits very close to the sun-like star it orbits. Astrophysicist Michel Mayor said: "The Holy Grail of current exoplanet research is the detection of a rocky, Earth-like planet in the 'habitable zone'."

The discovery was reported as Nasa marked Earth Day today by releasing images of the south polar ice cap, taken from the International Space Station, to raise awareness of global climate issues.

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