Earth-like planet 'may be the closest known comfortable abode for possible life'

A planet the same size of Earth and with a similar surface temperature may be "the closest known comfortable abode for possible life," according to new research.

The newly discovered world, named Ross 128b, was found orbiting a red dwarf 11 light-years away from Earth - but it's getting nearer.

Astronomers working with the European Southern Observatory's High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher (HARPS) at the La Silla Observatory in Chile has found that the red dwarf star Ross 128 is orbited by a low-mass 'exoplanet' every 9.9 days.