NASA Finds First Earth-Like Planet in Habitable Zone

The planet, dubbed Kepler-452b, was spotted by the Kepler Space Telescope, which analyzes changes in the intensity of energy emitted by a star to detect the presence of planets.

Kepler-452B is roughly 60 percent larger than Earth and has a surface gravity about twice that of our world, Kepler researcher Jon Jenkins told a press conference.

Planetary scientists say the odds are good that like Earth, the planet has a rocky surface.

The term “habitable zone” designates the region within a star system where liquid water can exist on the surface of a planet.

Describing Kepler-452b as “Earth’s bigger, older cousin,” NASA said the planet is about 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus and that it takes 385 days to complete an orbit around its Sun.