NEW EARTH - KEPLER 22-b

Astronomers have confirmed the discovery of an Earth-like planet which they say could be a potential future home for mankind outside the solar system.


The planet, Kepler 22-b, lies about 600 light-years away and is 2.4 times the size of Earth, and has a temperature of about 22 degree Celsius. It is the closest confirmed planet yet to one like ours -- an “Earth 2.0”, says a team at NASA.


The new planet, confirmed by the astronomers using the US space agency's Kepler telescope, contains both land and water and has the right atmosphere to potentially support life, the media reported.


One of the key criteria for a planet to be habitable is that it remains roughly the right distance from its main star to be neither too cold nor too hot. And, the team says that the Kepler 22-b is in the “habitable zone” around a star not unlike our own.