Super-Earth Exoplanets , May Be Our Best Bet , For Finding Life .<br />The Conversation reports that astronomers <br />have been routinely discovering exoplanets <br />orbiting stars outside our own solar system.<br />This summer, teams at NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found a number of interesting planets in their parent stars' habitable zones.<br />This summer, teams at NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite found a number of interesting planets in their parent stars' habitable zones.<br />Two of these exoplanets are 'super-Earths,' massive planets as much as 70% larger than Earth.<br />Current projections suggest that super-Earths are the most common type of exoplanet in the Milky Way, accounting for one third of all exoplanets.<br />Super-Earths possess a number of attributes <br />that make them even more habitable <br />than our normal-sized Earth.<br />Larger planets are more likely to have <br />more geological activity, which scientists <br />believe promotes biological evolution.<br />They also have thicker atmospheres that act <br />as an insulating blanket and keep an average <br />temperature around 77 degrees Fahrenheit.<br />Finally, most super-Earths orbit cool dwarf stars which are far older than our Sun, which means that life there would have had more time to develop.<br />Finally, most super-Earths orbit cool dwarf stars which are far older than our Sun, which means that life there would have had more time to develop.<br />The Conversation reports that the best chance for finding <br />life on a distant super-Earth will come with the next <br />generation of giant, ground-based telescopes.<br />Currently still under construction, <br />these telescopes are set to start collecting <br />data by the end of the decade.<br />Currently still under construction, <br />these telescopes are set to start collecting <br />data by the end of the decade
