A nearby 'super‑Earth' just 25 light years from our solar system has been recategorised as a lighter, likely rocky world sitting in the habitable zone of its star, raising fresh hopes in the search for Alien life, according to astronomers behind a new analysis of the planet GJ 3378 b.
For context, GJ 3378 b has been on scientists' radar for several years as one of thousands of exoplanets catalogued since the 1990s, when the first worlds beyond our solar system were confirmed. More than 6,000 exoplanets are now known, from blisteringly hot gas giants to ocean worlds and compact 'super‑Earths.' Yet despite that cosmic headcount, no confirmed evidence of alien life has turned up. Planets like GJ 3378 b matter because they help narrow the field, picking out nearby targets where habitability is at least plausible.
