NASA scientists have announced the discovery of a new exoplanet that has the potential to support life. The planet, known as Kepler-452b, is located in the habitable zone of its star, which means it has conditions that could allow liquid water to exist on its surface.
The planet is about 60% larger than Earth and is located about 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus. It orbits a star similar to our sun, but is about 1.5 billion years older.
"This is the closest thing we have to another Earth," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "This is a really exciting discovery."
Scientists used the Kepler space telescope to discover the planet, which was first detected in 2015. Since then, they have been studying its atmosphere and other characteristics to determine if it could support life.
"We don't know for sure if there's life on this planet," said Jon Jenkins, Kepler data analysis lead at NASA's Ames Research Center. "But it's definitely a good candidate for further study."
The discovery of Kepler-452b is just the latest in a series of exciting discoveries by NASA's Kepler mission. The mission has discovered more than 1,000 exoplanets since it launched in 2009.
NASA is planning to launch new missions in the coming years to study exoplanets in more detail. The James Webb Space Telescope, set to launch in 2021, will be able to study the atmospheres of exoplanets like Kepler-452b in unprecedented detail.
"This discovery is a testament to the incredible work being done by NASA's scientists and engineers," said Grunsfeld. "We're excited to see what else they'll discover in the years to come."
NASA scientists have announced the discovery of a new exoplanet that has the potential to