Looking for an Earth 2.0: Exploring potential new homes for us in the cosmos

Is there any living being in the universe besides us? The universe goes beyond our imagination, with billions of galaxies, each containing billions of stars, many with their planetary systems. Drake's theory states that due to the large number of stars and planets, there is a statistical probability of the existence of life other than earth.

Only a few decades ago, we didn't have any scientific proof of a planet outside our solar system. Today, with the help of technological advancements and scientific research, we've discovered 5,300 exoplanets (planets orbiting a star outside the solar system). Scientists are searching for exoplanets similar to earth. They have already found more than 50 exoplanets with masses similar to earth's.

We already have one such planet in our cosmic neighbourhood, red dwarf star Gliese 667 C (also known as GJ 667 Cc), which consists of a rich planetary system.

Scientists believe there may be six planets in GJ667C, with three or even four potentially habitable super-Earths. Orbiting the Sun GJ667C, the planet GJ667CC gets about 10% less light than ours.

Since most of the light it receives is infrared, the planet gets the same amount of energy from the Sun that our planet gets, which would help retain water on its surface.
635 light-years from Earth, Kepler22-b, located within the habitable zone of its Sun. It has a mass of 36 times that of the earth and is located 15% closer to its Sun than we are to our Sun.

The planet receives the same amount of sunlight as earth despite having a smaller and cooler sun because of its location. The planet is thought to have a temperature of 15 to 20 C, similar to Earth's Spring season.

Proxima Centauri b is a seemingly Earth-like exoplanet orbiting the closest star to our solar system. The Discovery of this planet has opened a conversation about interstellar colonization.

The planet sits 20% closer to its Sun, Proxima Centauri, than we do to our Sun. As the earth is situated in the habitable zone of its stars, there is a possibility that Proxima Centauri b may be able to sustain life and have temperatures allowing liquid water.

The planet's climate is thought to have exceeded the researchers' expectations, showing a stable environment suitable for the emergence and development of life.

Trappist-1 is another exoplanet orbiting the habitable zone of its Sun. The planet has mass, gravity, and temperature similar to earth's. Astronomers believe it has a compact atmosphere and the most excellent chance of being an ocean planet like earth. Trappist-1f is likely a rocky world like ours but is under a massive water system with a gaseous envelope at very high pressure.

But let us expand our viewpoint: how can we determine whether the earth is the optimal environment for life? Life may have a completely different definition, with chemical processes different from ours.

This questions our concept of habitability for supporting life. As we are only familiar with earth's settings, we are searching for similar environments. But what if life developed in environments different from ours has its unique equation for habitability? Perhaps we are aliens to them.

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