Discovery of an exoplanet similar to Earth – The Obs

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) -. Repeat Title

Scientists using the powerful telescope Kepler NASA announced Thursday the discovery of an exoplanet similar to Earth in an “area Living “around a Sun-like star.

This planet, which is about 60% larger than the Earth, is located 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Cygnus, they said Thursday at a press conference.

of a similar size exoplanets have already been discovered but this one, dubbed Kepler-452b, orbits a star very similar to the Sun, although as older, at a distance equivalent to that of Earth’s orbit.

Scientists estimate that Kepler-452b is positioned at the right distance to harbor water on its surface, which is considered as a condition for the emergence of life.

“This is a great step forward to discover a planet closest to Earth, comparable in size and temperature, around a star similar to the Sun.” said Jeff Coughlin, a researcher at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, California, in a conference call with journalists.

The research will appear in the next issue of the Astronomical Journal.

(Irene Klotz; Jean-Stéphane Brosse for the French service)