1.4 Earths

This is interesting:

The smallest planet around a normal star other than the Sun may be even smaller than first thought. A new analysis suggests the rocky body weighs just 1.4 Earths — less than half the original estimate. Obser­va­tions over the next few months should test the prediction.

[…]

If their analysis is con­firmed, it is an unclear whether the tiny planet could host any life. Because its host is a very dim red dwarf, the planet is likely to be frozen — even though it orbits at about the same distance as Venus from our Sun.

However, if the planet boasts a thick, insu­lating hydrogen atmo­sphere, it could sustain a hab­it­able surface tem­per­ature that might be able to support some life of some kind.

The star is about 3000 light years away, which sadly makes it a little inac­cess­ible; but we might be able to go there in the future.

(via Warren Ellis)