"" Pictured is Teegarden's star and its two planets, with our solar system in the background. The Teegarden star system is the 24th nearest star system to ours, and the fourth closest among those systems with exoplanets. University of Göttingen, Institute for Astrophysics When it comes to studying alien worlds beyond our solar system, the closer the better. And now, in a stroke of cosmic luck, astronomers have announced the possible discovery of not one, but two Earth-sized exoplanets orbiting an ancient star right on our galactic doorstep. Advertisement Advertisement What's more, they might be habitable. Although the star, called Teegarden, is located only 12.5 light-years away (a mere interstellar stone's throw), it's so small and dim that astronomers only discovered it in 2003. While it belongs to the most common type of star known in the galaxy, and is only 10 percent the mass of our sun, the 8-billion-year-old red dwarf may be a very special little star indeed. … [Read more...] about Two for Teegarden: Pint-sized Star System Discovered Right Next Door