The search for planets like Earth has always been a scientists’ area of interest. Most of the alien planet discoveries were made by the Kepler Space Telescope to help NASA find new Earth-like planets.
To support life, a planet must be relatively small and be located in the habitable zone of its star. Additionally, water should exist in liquid form on the planet’s surface.
NASA has found a few planets similar to Earth. They are-
-
Gliese 667Cc
It lies just 22 light-years from Earth and is at least 4.5 times in size. However, the planet orbits around its host star in just 28 days and is located in the habitable zone.
-
Kepler-22b
This planet lies 600 light years away from us and is about 2.4 times its size. But, its orbit is around 290 days long.
-
Kepler-62f
This planet is about 40 percent larger and lies about 1,200 light-years away. Its 267-day orbit, however, puts Kepler-62f squarely within the habitable zone.
Further Reading
