The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Washington DC.
To weigh KOI-314c, the scientists used a new technique called transit timing variations (TTV), which only works when more than one planet orbits a star.
The two planets tug on each other, slightly altering the time they take to cross or 'transit' the star's face.
Analysing the way the planetary wobbles affect light coming from the star makes it possible to calculate their mass.
KOI-314c's companion world is similar to it in size but weighs four times more than the Earth.
The new discovery was made by chance as scientists scoured data from the Kepler space telescope looking for evidence of moons rather than planets.
'When we noticed this planet showed transit timing variations, the signature was clearly due to the other planet in the system and not a moon,' said Dr Kipping.
'At first we were disappointed it wasn't a moon, but then we soon realised it was an extraordinary measurement.'
据英国《每日邮报》报道,科学家发现在距离地球200光年的地方有一颗与地球质量相同的神秘行星。
尽管科学家认为在银河系中五分之一的恒星都有一个与地球相似的行星围绕其运行,但是天文学家们却从未找到另外一个与地球真正相似的世界。
不过,研究者们最近离这一目标又近了一步,在距离地球200光年的外星系中发现了地球的“双胞胎”。
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