Not just one, but seven Earth-size planets that could potentially harbor life have been identified orbiting a tiny star not too far away, offering the first realistic opportunity to search for signs of alien life outside the solar system.
New York Times: NASA says seven newly discovered Earth-size planets could host life
This handout artist's conception released by the European Southern Observatory on February 22, 2017 shows a size comparison of the planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system, lined up in order of increasing distance from their host star. The planetary surfaces are portrayed with an artist’s impression of their potential surface features, including water, ice, and atmospheres. The stunning discovery of seven Earth-like planets orbiting a small star in our galaxy opens up the most promising hunting ground to date for life beyond the Solar System, researchers said Wednesday. All seven are within 20 percent of the size and mass of our own planet and almost certainly rocky, and three are ideally situated to harbour life-nurturing oceans of water, they reported in the journal Nature.
