NASA has spotted an exoplanet roughly the size of Earth that orbits within the habitable zone of its star – meaning it could host liquid water on its surface.

The discovery of the planet – named TOI 700 e – was announced in a paper in the journal The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

It was found using data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a space telescope which hunts for exoplanets.

The newly discovered planet is likely to be rocky, according to the experts, which could also make it more likely as a candidate to host life.

Liquid water could also exist on its surface at some point during its planetary lifetime because it is in the habitable zone of its star. This means the temperature could be right on the planet because it is neither too close nor too far from the star.