Do you sometimes find yourself gazing up at the sky, wondering if there are other intelligent beings out there? If so, you might be more than a little interested in the latest research from scientists who have used data from the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia satellite to identify stars that have high potential for hosting habitable planets.

Now, it might be worth noting that the Gaia satellite has done more than just zoom around space taking snaps of celestial bodies for our entertainment. It’s been hard at work collecting precise information on the position, distance, and motion of over one billion stars in the Milky Way. With that kind of information in its cosmic backpack, it’s like having our very own space Google Maps!

So, how did our clever space cartographers whittle down this enormous dataset to focus on a select few potential E.T.-themed summer holiday destinations? Well, they applied the K2-18b formula, which sounds suspiciously like a particularly dangerous kitchen cleaner. In reality, though, it’s a method used to predict whether a star is likely to be accompanied by a potentially habitable exoplanet.

The K2-18b formula looks at things like the age, size, temperature, and overall fabulousness of a star to determine if it’s rocking an Earth 2.0. After much computation and head-scratching, our trusty team identified 1,082 likely stars that meet the criteria. From these, they selected the ten most interesting candidates to be studied further.

But what makes a star and its associated exoplanet interesting? Imagine your potential perfect roommate: not too hot, not too cold, just the right distance from your face, and friendly enough that you might actually be able to hang out with them. These are the sorts of qualities we’re looking for in stars when it comes to our space-based habitat hunting. In astronomical terms, we’re talking about those in the habitable zone, also known as the “Goldilocks” zone, with potentially life-supporting exoplanets in orbit.

It might seem like these intrepid scientists are pinning all their hopes on the notion of “habitable” meaning “just like Earth,” but when it comes down to it, that’s a pretty solid bet. After all, if we want to find alien friends, it’s a good idea to search for them in environments that we know can sustain intelligent life. Let’s face it, looking for aliens on a scorching hot or freezing cold planet would be a waste of time – they would all be in a bad mood anyway.

The cherry on top of this galactic cake is that the ten chosen star candidates are relatively close to Earth, with distances ranging from 20 to 300 light-years away. While that might not be your typical “just popping over to borrow some sugar” kind of distance, in cosmic terms, it’s just around the corner.

And the even more awesome news? Gaia will be launching a second data release in 2022, which could identify even more potential locations for our interstellar neighbours. We can’t wait to see what they come up with! So, strap in and get ready for the potential discovery of new Earth-like homes among the stars. And hey, who knows? We might find the best neighbours the universe has to offer – just don’t forget to take some cookies as a housewarming gift!