New 'super-Earth' detected by Nasa's Kepler mission (it's a bit too hot for ET though)

Kepler-21b is 352 light years away and has surface temperatures of over 1,600C

We have discovered over 700 planets in the past 10 years



A new Earth-sized planet has been discovered orbiting a star just 352 light years away, but there’s very little chance of it hosting life because the surface is a toasty 1627C (2960F).

Found lurking in the Kepler star field, it has been named Kepler-21b and its parent star – the snappily titled HD 179070 – is so close it can be viewed with a home telescope.

This latest addition to our star charts was spotted by Nasa’s Earth-orbiting Kepler probe, which has found hundreds of new planets since its launch in 2009.

This is Kepler's field of view superimposed on the night sky. In January, scientists used Kepler's data to estimate that there are at least 17 billion Earth-sized exoplanets

The Kepler probe was launched in 2009. To find the latest planet, spacecraft stared at the same patch of sky for four years, watching for stars that dim as planets cross in front of them

As UK astronomer Dr Heather Couper acknowledges, the discovery of Kepler-21b is one more reason why these are such exciting time for star gazers.

She told MailOnline: ‘The technology is getting really cool and the Kepler mission has been incredibly successful.

‘We’re now detecting lots of super-earths and Kepler-21b is one of them.’

Although similar in size to Earth, it only lies 3.7million miles from its parent star, so the chances of finding life there are incredibly remote.

By comparison, Mercury is 35million miles from our Sun, and even that is too close for life.

Dr Couper said: ‘Kepler-21b is only 1.6 times the radius of the Earth, so it’s probably a rocky planet. The problem is that it’s far too close to its parent star to sustain any life.

‘It goes round the star in 2.8 days, so it’s going to be be searingly hot. Mercury goes round in 88 days and that’s also searingly hot.’

Although Kepler-21b is a close neighbour in cosmic terms, it’s still difficult to spot.

Dr Couper explains that the Kepler probe – along with ground-based telescopes to back it up – can't actually see planets, but works out they are there by looking for tell-tale blips in light from stars.

The Kepler probe has found hundreds of new planets. Several of these worlds are 'super-Earths' with up to 10 times the Earth's mass situated in 'habitable zone' orbits where conditions may be suitable for life

She said: ‘Kepler looks at the diminution of a star’s brightness when a planet passes in front it. If it’s regular you can work out its orbit.”

There are now 704 confirmed exo-planets – bodies outside our solar system - and another 1,000 or so unconfirmed bodies.

Dr Couper believes it’s only a matter of time before we find life.

She added: ‘We’ve got every chance of finding a planet like Earth. When we find a new planet we ought to be tuning in to the star and listening to the radio signals from that planet.

‘If there are people on that planet they will probably be using radio waves to communicate.

‘The other crucial thing to do is to analyse the atmospheres of these planets. You can do this with spectroscopy, to see if there’s water present, which you need for life.’