In a new study, published in Nature Astronomy, a group of scientists looked at the exoplanet YZ Ceti b, which is only 12 light-years from Earth and may have a magnetic field similar to our own. This work may advance the search for a planet with life outside our solar system because our own magnetic field is important for deflecting plasma and high-energy particles coming from our Sun.”The search for potentially habitable or life-bearing worlds in other solar systems depends in part on being able to determine if rocky, Earth-like exoplanets actually have magnetic fields,” stated Dr. Joe Pesce, the program director.