HD 20794 d completes its orbit just shy of two Earth years, placing it well within reach of conditions that might harbor life.

An exoplanet is a planet outside our solar system that usually orbits a star in our galaxy. More than 7,000 have been found in the Milky Way since the first confirmed discovery in the 1990s, and "billions more remain to be discovered", said Tech Explorist.

UK researchers have confirmed the existence of a “super Earth” located 20 light-years away that could reveal the existence of extraterrestrial beings.

It is located in a star system less than 20 light-years away, making it one of the closest candidates for further research.

Found by Dr Michael Cretignier of the University of Oxford, the planet has a mass six times greater than Earth's and orbits in a "habitable zone" of a star similar to the sun.

Astronomers have officially confirmed the existence of HD 20794 d, a super-Earth located just 20 light-years away, with conditions that could make it one of the most promising exoplanets for life beyond our solar system.