NASA Discovers ‘Super Earth’ Planet

While one might expect such finds to occur thousands of light years away, NASA has revealed the discovery of a star being orbited by three planets — virtually right next door.

The space agency’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has found the mini galaxy just 73 light years away, NASA announced Tuesday.

Of the three planets circling the star, astronomers describe one as a “super-Earth” because, even though it’s “oven-hot,” it could possibly sustain life. “We’ve found very few planets like this in the habitable zone, and many fewer around a quiet star, so this is rare,” says astronomer Stephen Kane.

The super-Earth, which is 25 percent larger than our planet, orbits its sun every 3.4 days, NASA officials say.