Tau Ceti e

Tau Ceti e is an unconfirmed planet that may be orbiting the nearby Sun-like star Tau Ceti at a distance of 11.905 light years from the Sun. It is the fourth planet of the five planet system in distance to its star. It is notable due to its predicted habitability and Earth-like properties, with an Earth Similarity Index of 0.77 and an orbit that places it on the hot inner edge of Tau Ceti's habitable zone. With an a minimum mass of 4.3 Earth masses, it is classified as a super-Earth. Due to its proximity to Tau Ceti (0.552 AU), it may be Venus-like with a very dense atmosphere causing on it a powerful greenhouse effect. If it possesses an Earth-like atmosphere, the surface temperature would be around 70°C (343 K). At this temperature range, the only Earth life that could exist on the surface would be thermophiles. Thus, to make Tau Ceti e able to support humans, methods of cooling it similar to the ones used to terraform Venus could be used, such as a reduction of atmosphere, an increase in albedo, solar shades, or artificial cooling systems in the atmosphere. Oceans and heat tolerant plants and animals are then introduced. The planet may be easy to terraform for the advanced humans that get there, which is feasible if even near-light speed spacecraft are developed, considering it's less than 12 light years away.