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First 'Alien Earth' Will Be Found in 2013, Experts Say
by Mike Wall, SPACE.com Senior WriterDate: 27 December 2012 Time: 05:00 AM ET
More exoplanets than expected in the first year of the Habitable Exoplanets Catalog. Image released Dec. 6, 2012.
CREDIT: PHL @ UPR Arecibo, ESA/Hubble, NASA
The first truly Earth-like alien planet is likely to be spotted next year, an epic discovery that would cause humanity to reassess its place in the universe.
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While astronomers have found a number of exoplanets over the last few years that share one or two key traits with our own world — such as size or inferred surface temperature — they have yet to bag a bona fide "alien Earth." But that should change in 2013, scientists say.
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"I'm very positive that the first Earth twin will be discovered next year," said Abel Mendez, who runs the Planetary Habitability Laboratory at the University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo.
