Outer space, though interesting enough in its vastness, captivates us mostly because humans are self-centered creatures. We explore space because, at a fundamental level, we want to know if there’s anyone like us “out there.” According to a discovery by researchers at the University of New South Wales, science may have found its best bet for life beyond Earth: Gliese 832 c is a “super-Earth” orbiting a red dwarf just 16 light years away.

According to the researchers, it’s among the three most Earth-like planets ever found.

“With an outer giant planet and an interior potentially rocky planet, this planetary system can be thought of as a miniature version of our Solar System,” says Professor Chris Tinney, Head of UNSW’s Exoplanetary Science research group. The rocky planet he mentions is Gliese GJ b, a Jupiter-like planet discovered in 2009.

Though much larger (at least five times as massive) than Earth, they speculate that the planets temperature may be similar. It gets about the same stellar energy from its red dwarf star GJ 832 as we do from the Sun. It orbits much closer to its star than Earth does, but lower intensity of red dwarfs accounts for the difference.

The researchers caution that similar though the planet may be, life is still an unlikely possibility. Hospitable planets require hospitable atmospheres, and they aren’t yet sure of Gliese 832 c’s makeup.

“However, given the large mass of the planet, it seems likely that it would possess a massive atmosphere, which may well render the planet inhospitable. A denser atmosphere would trap heat and could make it more like a super-Venus and too hot for life,” says Professor Tinney.

It’s still a promising find. To compare planets to Earth, scientists use something called the Earth Similarity Index. Earth gets a score of 1.0. The most Earth-like planet, Gliese 667C c, has a score of 0.84. The new planet received a score of 0.81. At 16 light years away, it’s by far the closest “super-Earth.”