Venus' twin? Earth-size planet may have atmosphere

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - There's a new rocky Earth-size planet on our galactic block, and it's a sizzler.

Astrophysicists revealed the newfound world Wednesday. It's called GJ 1132b, after the small nearby star that it orbits.

Even though the mercury can hit 450 degrees at this planet, it's cool enough to have a thick atmosphere like Venus. Lucky for scientists, it's close enough to find out.

The planet is just 39 light-years away, within the atmospheric study range of the Hubble Space Telescope.

A team led by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology discovered the planet in May, using telescopes in Chile. They reported their findings in the journal Nature.

The researchers say the planet is too hot for life, but still much cooler than the rocky fireballs known to orbit other stars.

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  This artist’s conception made by Dana Berry of SkyWorks and provided by NASA on Nov. 6, 2015 shows GJ 1132b, foreground, a rocky planet similar to the Earth in size and mass, orbiting a red dwarf star. (Dana Berry / SkyWorks / NASA)