In a quest to locate life beyond our Solar System, scientists have found atmosphere around a planet that is similar to the Earth, reported BBC. The “super Earth”, which is 1.4-times the size of our planet and 39 light years away, has been found to be surrounded by a thick layer of gases, according to the finding published in the Astronomical Journal.

Named GJ 1132b, the Earth-like planet has a surface temperature of 370° C, making it unsuitable for habitation. “To my knowledge the hottest temperature that life has been able to survive on Earth is 120° C and that’s far cooler than this planet,” said Dr John Southworth from Keele University, who led the research. “What we have shown is that planets around low mass stars can have atmospheres and because there are so many of those in the Universe, it makes it that much more likely that one might have life.”

The researchers are unsure about what constitutes the planet’s atmosphere. “One possibility is that it is a ‘water world’ with an atmosphere of hot steam,” said Southworth. The planet was studied with the help of telescope at the European Southern Observatory in Chile.