Last week two teams independently reported finding water for the first time in the atmosphere of an exoplanet orbiting within the habitable zone of a distant star. The exoplanet is about 110 light-years away.
The finding makes the world - which is called K2-18b - a plausible candidate in the search for alien life.
Prof Giovanna Tinetti of University College London (UCL), described the discovery as "mind blowing", claiming;
"This is the first time that we have detected water on a planet in the habitable zone around a star where the temperature is potentially compatible with the presence of life."
So far only K2-18b revealed the molecular signature of water, which is a vital ingredient for life on Earth.
Dr Angelos Tsiaras, a member of the UCL team, said that finding water in the atmosphere of a "potentially habitable exoplanet was incredibly exciting".
Other astronomers, however, dispute the claim that the planet is potentially habitable.
