ITWire

Dr. Stephen Vogt, one of the lead astronomers on the project, states, 'It's been a long haul. This is the first exoplanet that has the right conditions for water to exist on its surface.' [New York Times (September 29, 2010): "New Planet May Be Able to Nurture Organisms']

For additional information, check out the University of California at Santa Cruz press release, 'Newly discovered planet may be first truly habitable exoplanet.'

In addition, the National Science Foundation provides a press briefing of the event at: 'Steven Vogt and Paul Butler lead a team that discovered the first potentially habitable exoplanet.'

The video contains a discussion of Steven Vogt (UC Santa Cruz and UC Observatories) and Paul Butler (Carnegie Institution of Washington), two of the astronomers taking part in the discovery, talking about the first exoplanet found by astronomers that has the potential to support life.

Also, read the Carnegie Institution  press release entitled 'Potentially Habitable Planet Discovered.'

It states, 'The fact that the researchers were able to detect this planet so quickly and so nearby (in astronomical terms) suggests that habitable planets could be quite common.'