Super Earths Just 21 Lights Years Away: NASA

Astronomers have discovered three super-Earths in a configuration similar to our solar system, just about 21 light years away.

Researchers at University of Geneva observed the transit of one super-Earth planet, about 4.5 times more massive and 1.6 times larger than Earth. The planet called HD2191134b, with two other super-Earths and one outer giant planet, orbits the star HD2191134 which is slightly smaller and cooler than the sun. The planetary system exists in the Cassiopeia constellation. The planets are the nearest known super-Earths to our planet.

The team which spotted the system also measured the size of HD2191134b when it transited the star.

"The idea was to check for a potential transit of the planet in front of the star, a mini eclipse that would allow us to measure the size of the planet. To do this, we needed to go to space to reach the required precision," said Ati Motalebi, the study's first author.

Motalebi and her team used the HARPS-N instrument on the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo in Italy, and NASA's Spitzer space telescope to spot the system.

The team also found that the two other inner planets are super-Earths. While one planet is 2.7 times more massive than Earth while the other has a mass 8.7 times that of Earth. The planetary system has already attracted the attention of the research community as it resembles the solar system and its proximity allows for detailed studies.

"Transiting exoplanets are worth their weight in gold because they can be extensively characterized. This exoplanet will be one of the most studied for decades to come," said Michael Werner, the project scientist for the Spitzer mission at NASA .