Scientists may find life on Earth-like planets covered in oceans within the next few years

Life outside our solar system may be found within just a few years, thanks to the discovery of a new class of super hot, Earth-like planets, according to astronomers from the University of Cambridge.

The Cambridge researchers identified a new class of exoplanet, called Hycean planets, that, much like Earth, are covered in oceans and have atmospheres rich with hydrogen, an element that is essential for life. Many of the planets are "bigger and hotter than Earth"— up to 2.6 times larger than our planet and reaching atmospheric temperatures up to nearly 200 degrees Celsius, or 392 degrees Fahrenheit.  Hyceans are further categorized as either "dark" or "cold," with dark worlds only having habitable conditions on their permanent night sides and cold worlds receiving just a little radiation from the stars they orbit. But researchers believe that they could support microbial lifeforms that are similar to those found in the extreme aquatic environments on Earth, and that Hycean planets are likely common throughout space.