Super earths have mass range from about 2 to 10 Earth. Astronomers have discovered a handful of these planets in our galaxy and missions like the Kepler space telescope, launched just this year, could help astronomers find many Earth-like planets in the years to come. Dimitar Sasselov, professor of astronomy at Harvard University, coined the term “Super-Earths” to reflect their mass rather than any superior qualities. Super earths could be superior to the Earth when it comes to sustaining life. This finding  gives hope to astrobiologists, who think we are more likely to find life on rocky planets with liquid water. Read the rest of this entry »