CoRoT-9b, which was discovered by a mission led by the French space agency, Centre National d'Études Spatiales, could become the next planet to be colonized by humans.

Scientists are of the opinion that the planet has a temperate climate, with a surface temperature of 20 and 160 degrees Celsius. “This is the first planet where it makes sense to apply the models developed for planets within our solar system", said Dr. Deeg, who works at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias in the Canary Islands.

CoRoT-9b is an extra solar planet and it lies in the orbit of a star. It was studied using the transit method, which involves studying a planet when it passes in front of its central star. The light from the star makes it possible for scientists to study the planet in depth.

Deeg proposes that CoRoT-9b has similarities with Jupiter and Mercury. While, it equals the former’s size, it matches Mercury’s orbit.

Scientist, Allan Boss of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D. C., concedes that this finding also supports the fact that planets often orbit in or close to the habitable zone.

This discovery opens a window of hope for scientists. They remain optimistic that this path breaking detection will yield more information in the next decade.