HD 20794 d completes its orbit just shy of two Earth years, placing it well within reach of conditions that might harbor life.

It is believed that the planet, named HD 20794 d, is at just the right distance from its star to sustain water on its surface, but because this distance changes over the course of its elliptical rather than circular orbit it is too early to say whether it could host life.

An exoplanet is a planet outside our solar system that usually orbits a star in our galaxy. More than 7,000 have been found in the Milky Way since the first confirmed discovery in the 1990s, and "billions more remain to be discovered", said Tech Explorist.

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

Located less than 20 light years away, HD 20794d could potentially be one of the most Earth-like planets found so far, despite its extreme climatic variability.

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,

But according to an international team of researchers, including some from the University of Geneva, in a study published Tuesday in Astronomy & Astrophysics believe the super-Earth, dubbed HD 20794 d, could offer new insights into what makes a planet capable of supporting life.

Scientists have discovered a so-called “super-Earth” planet, potentially capable of supporting life, orbiting a sun -like star just 20 light-years away.

Astronomers have found some pretty wild exoplanets. Some are balls of lava the temperature of hell, one is partially made of diamond, and another may rain molten iron. However, not all exoplanets are this extreme.