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(Image: University of Hertfordshire)

Scientists have discovered a planet 12 light years away which could be suitable to live on.

The planet is neither too hot nor too cold so it could sustain water and therefore could be habitable.

It is one of five planets thought to be circling Tau Ceti, a star almost identical to our sun.

Scientists found the planets using a highly sensitive technique that combined data from more than 6,000 observations from three different telescopes.

They used the radial velocity method which looks for "wobble" in a star's movement caused by the gravitational tug of planets.

Professor Steve Vogt, a team member from the University of California, said: "This discovery is in keeping with our emerging view that virtually every star has planets, and that the galaxy must have many such potentially habitable Earth-sized planets.

"They are everywhere, even right next door."

Professor Chris Tinney, from the University of New South Wales, said: "As we stare at the night sky, it is worth contemplating that there may well be more planets out there than there are stars, some fraction of which may well be habitable."

Dr James Jenkins, from the University of Hertfordshire, added: "Tau Ceti is one of our nearest cosmic neighbours and so bright that we may be able to study the atmospheres of these planets in the not-too-distant future.

"Planetary systems found around nearby stars close to our sun indicate that these systems are common in our Milky Way galaxy."

More than 800 planets have been discovered orbiting stars beyond the sun since the 1990s.

Those found around the nearest sun-like stars are the most interesting to astronomers.

Details of the discovery are to appear in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.