Could ‘Goldilocks’ planet be just right for life?
September 30, 2010 - 1:21 pm
WASHINGTON -- Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond our own in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: Not too hot, not too cold. Juuuust right. Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere. It's just right. Just like Earth. The new planet sits smack in the middle of what astronomers refer to as the habitable zone. And it is in our galactic neighborhood.