According to a latest report, scientists have recently assessed the nature of a planet that is assumed to be orbiting a distant star by measuring the starlight that is passing through the atmosphere of that star.

Scientists claim that the above mentioned technique could boost the hunt for more worlds which might be very much identical to the earth.

It has been revealed by scientists that by knowing the mass of an extrasolar planet, or exoplanet, it is possible to determine that whether that extrasolar planet is rocky or not.

The experts are also of the view that by knowing their mass, it is also possible to know that whether there is enough room for life on such a extra- terrestrial body or not.

Scientists say that in order to find the mass of an exoplanet, they have to rely on radial-velocity.

The radial-velocity is a measurement, in which tiny wobbles in a star's orbit disclose the gravitational pull (and hence mass) of an orbiting planet.

It has also been revealed by scientists that Radial velocity works best for big planets especially that orbit bright, steadily and shining stars.

Julien de Wit, a graduate student in MIT's Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences said, "The mass affects everything on a planetary level, such as any plate tectonics, its internal cooling and convection, how it generates magnetic fields, and whether gas escapes from its atmosphere".