Newly Discovered ‘Super-Earth’ Just 20 Light-Years Away Could Host Alien Life

Written by: Sam Orlando

STAUNTON, VIRGINIA - Astronomers have identified a promising new candidate in the search for extraterrestrial life: a “super-Earth” named HD 20794d, orbiting a nearby star just 20 light-years from Earth.

The planet, roughly six times the mass of Earth, lies within the habitable zone of its parent star, HD 20794—also known as 82 Eridani—a sun-like star in the constellation Eridanus. This zone, often called the “Goldilocks zone,” refers to the orbital sweet spot where temperatures are just right for liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface.

A Super-Earth with Super Potential

HD 20794d belongs to a class of planets called super-Earths—rocky worlds larger than Earth but smaller than ice giants like Neptune. Though not necessarily Earth-like in climate or composition, their size and structure suggest they could support solid surfaces, atmospheres, and potentially even oceans.

If HD 20794d has a dense atmosphere, it could regulate surface temperatures and shield the planet from radiation, increasing its chances of being habitable. Scientists caution, however, that much remains unknown—especially regarding its atmosphere, temperature, and surface conditions.

What Would Life Be Like?

With six times Earth’s mass, HD 20794d likely has much stronger gravity—potentially more than twice that of Earth. Any hypothetical life forms would need to adapt to the higher gravitational pull. This could mean:

• Shorter, more muscular creatures built low to the ground.

• Denser, sturdier vegetation to resist gravitational stress.

• Thicker atmospheres, possibly cloudier skies, and slower weather patterns.

  
  

Astrobiologists also speculate that such a world might evolve entirely different biochemistries—depending on its atmospheric makeup, pressure, and temperature. And with more mass, HD 20794d might also retain heat more effectively, widening its habitable window.

A Rare Nearby Find

The discovery, announced in February 2025, is based on two decades of observational data gathered using the HARPS spectrograph at the European Southern Observatory’s La Silla facility in Chile. The method—called radial velocity detection—measures tiny shifts in a star’s motion caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets.

While thousands of exoplanets have been discovered in the past decade, very few are as close or as potentially habitable as HD 20794d. That makes it a top priority for follow-up observations, including potential studies by the James Webb Space Telescope and future observatories like the European Extremely Large Telescope.

“This is one of the most compelling nearby super-Earths we’ve seen,” researchers told The Times. “Its location and mass make it a prime candidate in the search for biosignatures.”

The search for life in the universe just got a little more interesting—and a lot closer to home.