Are red dwarfs the key to finding alien life? Planets orbiting stars like Proxima Centauri are mainly Earth-sized with liquid water

In the hunt for extra-terrestrial life, astronomers often try to find Earth-sized planets in what is called the'habitable zone' of their host star. This means they are orbiting at the correct distance for liquid water to exist on the planet, and this is considered the most important factor for the possibility of life as we know it existing on other planets. Now, using computer simulations, a group of scientists has discovered these planets are likely to be orbiting low-mass stars known as red dwarfs. Using computer simulations, a group of scientists has discovered the planets orbiting low-mass stars known as red dwarfs are likely to be Earth-sized and have liquid water. Artist's impression of Earth-sized stars orbiting a red dwarf, shown The team decided to run the computer simulations based on the discovery of a planet orbiting our nearest star, Proxima Centauri.