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| Kepler 22b - "New Earth" |
The new planets from Kepler Space Telescope discovered two years ago, but new research has identified as most similar to our own is still open.
Kepler 22b is about two times larger Earth, and temperatures average around 72 degrees (22 degrees Celsius).
It also contains the necessary atmosphere to support life. However, there is one drawback: it is 600 light years from Earth.
Kepler 22b is what is called the first "super-Earth" to the "habitable zone" of a star like our Sun are known.
Called the "Goldilocks zone", the group, which permits precise temperature for the existence of liquid water on the surface in its orbit.
This means that the planet may be Earth's continents and oceans as a will, and where there is liquid water there is no life, they say.
The scientists believe that Kepler 22b is not just housing, but perhaps even inhabited.
"This confirms the growing belief that we live in a world crowded with life," said Dr. Alan Boss of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, DC, which identifies the planet from the data obtained by the Kepler space telescope.
The telescope, launched the U.S. space agency NASA monitors 155,000 stars in search of small drops of light that reveal the presence of planets.
Star orbiting around Kepler 22b, in the constellation Lyra and Cygnus, if you are a little smaller than the Sun and about 25% less bright white.
Planets orbiting stars 290 days, 15% larger than the sun than Earth.
It is in the middle of the habitable zone of stars, which eliminates the ideal conditions for life potentially.
Two other small planets orbiting stars smaller and cooler than our sun was recently discovered at the edge of their neighborhood. Their orbits are similar to Mars and Venus.
The report findings will be published by The Astrophysical Journal.
Dr. Douglas Hudgins, Kepler Program Scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said: "This is an important milestone on the road to find Earth's twin."
The planet is observed after the introduction of "transit" in front of its star, so the decrease in brightness of stars. B