Scientists using NASA's powerful Kepler telescope have found a planet beyond the solar system that is a close match to Earth.
The planet, which is about 60 % bigger than Earth, is located
about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Cygnus, the scientists
told a news conference on Thursday July 23,2015
While similarly sized planets have been found before, the latest one,
known as Kepler-452b, is circling a star that is very similar but older
than the sun at a distance about the same as Earth's orbit.
"It's great progress in finding a planet like Earth that is similar in
size and temperature around a sun-like star," Jeff Coughlin, Kepler
research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California,
told reporters on a conference call.
Based on its size, scientists believe Kepler-452b is rocky and
Earth-like and positioned at the right distance for liquid surface
water, which is believed to be necessary for life.
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