Earth's "Closest Cousin" Discovered by NASA

Today, NASA’s Kepler mission announced the discovery of the first near-Earth-sized planet in a sun-like star’s “habitable zone.” Located in the Cygnus constellation 1,400 light-years away, the Kepler-452b exoplanet is, as of yet, Earth’s closest cousin. Already, the breakthrough has excited the artistic imagination, as exemplified by these gorgeous imaginations of the planet's dusty, marbled magnificence.

Kepler-452b's diameter is estimated to be 60% larger, resulting in a slightly longer 385-day orbit. Beneath its thick atmosphere, the surface of the planet is most likely rocky, with a heavy cloud cover and volcanic activity. The planet’s sun, Kepler-452, is 5% further from Kepler-452b than the sun from earth, 1.5 billion years older, 20% brighter, and 10% bigger, but with a comparable temperature.

The bottom line? “This exciting result brings us one step closer to finding an Earth 2.0,” NASA’s John Grunsfel said in the live broadcast of the announcement.

Keep up to date on Kepler-452 and -452b and learn more about Kepler’s ongoing mission to “find another earth” on NASA’s website.

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